alfalfa

Proof of life from Baja, Sea of Cortez side. I wasnt on Flames, so i hope @Bruce isnt too sad.

The one and only. A very experienced rider, but new to dirt. So, we did our best to vet him. If he comes back after being left in the dirt, then we know he is a keeper. Truth be told, Allen had been doing phenomenal all day, including 30 miles of El Compadre Trail, and all but 6 miles of the road into Mike's. He finally succumbed to sphincteritis sandus maximus. That is the tendency to soil oneself and let off the throttle at the sight of the smallish dirt particles known as sand.

Allen's in the house!!! But, did you die?

Welcome! Dont let Bruce scare you off. Ever since he quit riding, he's lost his bite. (if he ever had one)

Yeah, but i keep hoping Bruce turns it around....

Whining is the new mantra, and not just for the old. I've been fortunate to hang with older people that still have a zest for life. I attribute it to the motorcycle. During helmet time, i reflect on my addiction to it, and to what i do with it, and i think it is that overall "pioneer" trait that keeps you young. I crack up when someone asks me how old i am and their reaction when i say "64". Riding keeps you mentally alert, which keeps you younger (at least in your head). Humans need to have something that drives them forward. When that is taken away, they sit around and whine. I grew up in Alaska, state motto "The Last Frontier". I watched Star Trek, which searched for new frontiers. I've always wanted to see what was over that next hill. I think that is what kept me positive in life. We need that "thing" to keep us interested.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of others, i would say that i havent really changed much about what i do on a daily basis. Have worked in the office the entire time, albeit behind locked doors to keep the public out. At first finding food was a headache (oh, poor me), but there was ways around it. I never stopped riding, whether it be to work, or just out and about. Riding has always been a more singular event for me, only joining a local club in the last few years. Most of those members still continued to get together on weekends and go ride some place. For us, the destination wasnt that big a deal, it was the route. I've taken a couple of longer trips over the past twelve months, with a week in Baja being the most recent. We've followed the local rules with regards to Covid, but we've found that state by state those have been all over the board. The US's response to this outbreak has been right down the two party line. So, no, fortunately, i havent lost my shit, but there have been a few times where panic almost took over. I guess being 64 and more interested in a good life, over a long life, has helped.

i think they work perfectly well on the wrong side of the road, being a bike and all

ah, so. i've only owned a 16' Glastron ski boat. didnt have to do more than register it with the state. Did take a Power Squadron boating course.

Rules? I havent really slowed down any riding, been at work continously. Meals are sometimes a challenge, having used delivery services when things were extreme and no eating inside or outside of restaurants. Work allows you to work from home, if you desire. Our only rule is use some frigging common sense. If you feel bad, dont come in until tested. We've had people at work (<5) that were either exposed, or caught it. None of them have passed it on to fellow employees. What i enjoy the most is watching how internal meetings became ZOOM affairs, yet those most worried about sitting in a meeting spend their lunch hour in the same conf room! We do have those who havent seen since March 2020, but really havent missed em, if you catch my drift. The work at home vs work at work seem to be split down political party lines. strange ? During our "lockdown" i've traveled to Idaho for Thanksgiving (3 people dinner, in a restaurant), flying both ways. I've been on two long distance motorcycle rides around the western states, i've been to Baja to watch the 1000 race last November, and am about to go again for a 9 day ride. I've done weekly rides with the club. In all of the above, we've all followed commons sense rules and have yet to expose each other. 90 yr old mother went thru the Kung Flu last April, never hospitalized. Her 83 yr old husband was hospitalized and was home in 3 days. Friends who caught it over Thanksgiving either had very mild symptoms, or were bed ridden for a couple of days with a fever. Now, having said that, i've known some that have died and offer my sympathies to everyone else have had similar experiences. I do everything i can not to infect anyone, but still struggle with the reality of collapsing world economies over a strong flu version. I'm glad we are seeing a 98% survival rate.

Supposedly, your peeps speak English. but, i tried and cant figure out what the RCD and CE laws are ?

was hoping you would be coming to the rescue. how long to get that bike, i mean boat over to Baja?

fo sho. should be tons of pics. given this is AGALOS in BAJA, the stories will be "interesting"!!

easy money. she ALWAYS throws me ? (or,so i claim. cant be lack of riding talent) I bought her some new shoes, so she is just fine Stay tuned for an upcoming Baja ride - up to about 17 bikes now. Lot of first timers going.......

round is a shape?

should be fun to play on!

well our 3 days of winter in SoCal have passed and we got out for a run up the best, closest motorcycle road - Hwy 33. picked the best bikes to do it on, too.

yep, north route has some good tarmac! Road thru Gateway is Butler gold route. Panguitch route is one of my favorite paved routes, too!

BIke is a beauty!!! Cant really go wrong with a Honda. I had those until i became an old fart and switched to the BMW brand

Southern California, place called Carrizo Plain. It parallels the San Andreas Fault (earthquake fault for y'all that dont have em). Speed limit? Hmmm, i dont believe so. I've never seen an officer of the law on this 20+ mile road, so i would say you're good. Plus, amurica, ya know. we dont follow too many rules. Seriously, most true dirt roads arent marked with speed limits. They just leave it up to something happening and then citing you for unsafe speed, which could be 5 mph (in Bruce's case)

Topic specific forums (i.e. motorcycles) will always attract a majority of like-minded people. Couple that with the fact that most riders are pretty good people, Bruce excepted, and you have a much more enjoyable place to hang out. Unfortunately, that also hampers the amount of different discussion that takes place on FB. Maybe if the forum software was configured to display conversations similar to how FB does it, it might be more inviting. On FB, you only have to load the app and you are hit with every single conversation the algorithms can throw at you. I liken it to my restaurant experiences with the club i ride with - everyone is talking at the same time so the noise level is high. Forums like this are more like polite, mature conversation where you listen before speaking. well, mostly.

Did a pic in honor of Neil Peart

Had a great first weekend in December.............

My "son" (long story, but a good one) said he wanted to see the Baja1000. Something i've always wanted to see, too. So, we arranged for a third buddy (fluent in spanish and baja) and headed off last Thursday evening. Checked the gummit websites to see if borders were closed (they were), but have had several riding friends crossing over and back. I guess dirt riding in Baja IS an essential activity. Got a great BNB in Ensenada ("son" is a non-rider, so we drove) and spent all day at Osos Negros, on Hwy 3, watching the bikes, quads, trucks, beetles and what not. Came back to Ensenada saturday afternoon to an excellent dinner at Sano's Restaurant, before crashing into bed around 5:30 pm. Not really lightweights, but due to scheduling errors, we had been up since Thursday morning. Saturday was a day off (see scheduling errors) so we hit La Bufadora and then Coyote Cals for lunch. Crossed the border into the newnited states of amurica sunday morning, after a 2 hr border wait, but we got to hang with several trophy trucks in line. Great time and an eye opener for the kid, as it was with me several years ago. Baja sunrises are epic! Poor planning left us at the section where there was a 35 mph speed limit! ? But, we got great, clear shots of the racers Great apartment in Ensenada, on a hill overlooking the harbor. $65/night which is crazy cheap considering hotel costs in the USA. Asada fries and freshly made guacamole Best thing about Baja is that there really are few rules, and even fewer traffic police. This trophy truck was driving thru town, on the way back to its shop. The co-driver was asleep, which was quite an accomplishment, considering how loud the truck was. Instant ticket on several counts in "civilized" USA You pay your $75 fee and you can race what ya brung. La Bufadora - the blowhole! Love the "we arent responsible for people who dont follow the rules". Obviously, Baja has way too few lawyers for their own good ? Well known with the dirty crowd Turtle had no name. Guess that is ok as it probably wouldnt come if you called it. Well, it wouldnt come right away. Damnd straight, skippy!