Vol 14 No 4 June 30, 2010

In Daytona Beach for the Memorial Weekend - Saturday we went for a bike ride with Ron and Regina Hewitt. Gina had her ‘new to her’ Harley Davidson Road King. Rode through the back roads to The Foxhead Bar in Osteen, then to the Cabbage Patch in Samsula. Both biker bars were almost deserted on a Saturday afternoon??? With the Memorial Day long weekend - most people were away or had visitors.

Sunday morning Harvey came over to go fishing at Ponce Inlet with Jim. Ended up wetting lines and just hanging out. The Inlet was packed with tourists. That afternoon Jim and I went to Lis and Harvey’s in De Leon Springs for a cook out. Always fun to spend time with them. Monday was Memorial Day holiday and we spent the afternoon at Bob and Wendy’s - ate their food, swam in the pool, laughed with their family and friends - had a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon with them. Always entertaining people there. We had a very nice long weekend.

Delivered the storage sheds in Kissimmee, on Tuesday morning, 1 June then over to Ritchie Bros Auction. This place does not bring the shipment to the truck. The driver has to locate his freight and take it to the truck. This time we had to drive compacters. The machines used to break up and compact gravel - the roller with nubs in front. The battery was dead in the one I had to drive, so it was jumped started. As soon as I hit the key it was in full on vibrate mode!! It was hilarious as I had no idea how to switch it off!! Obviously the person who parked it there had played a little ‘trick’!!

After loading we stayed in Daytona Beach that night because we needed half a business day there to get mail and new parking passes.

Delivered the compacters to Caledonia, New York on Friday, then only 100 kms (60 miles) to Joe and Michele’s. Joe came in a couple of hours after us. We ended up having 11 days off up there. The weekend of 12/13 June was the Western New York Moto Guzzi Rally that Joe and Michele plan and host each year.

The Friday afternoon that we arrived was Tyler’s Prom night (Michele‘s son). His last year of high school. He was a knock out! He posed for photos with his mother and grandparents. A very big occasion! Courtney Zufall and her date stopped by as well - just gorgeous! Gowns, tuxedos, limousines, parties - the works.
Photo is L to R: Michele, Paula, Tyler and Kenny.

Baillie’s birthday party was on the Saturday (her 11th birthday was May 26), lots of kids and Michele’s family there for a pizza and wings party on the deck. All the kids stayed busy playing in the pool, on the trampoline, playing baseball and there was a bounce house.

Jim and Joe took the trucks in for work and service early in the week. Our tractor (prime mover) needed a front brake shoe, and the trailer needed rear axle brakes.

On the Tuesday I went to the Buffalo Zoo with Jim’s niece Kristin and her one year old son, Liam and met Kristin’s friend, Nicole and her daughter Kristin at the Zoo.

I had not been to the Buffalo Zoo before. Kristin had packed a picnic lunch and we all sat under a tree on a blanket - with a lion roaring close by!! Aussie friends were wallabies, frilled neck lizard, blue tongue lizard, lorikeets and other birds. My favourites were the polar bears and anteater. Loved the giraffe and baby, otters and Kodiak bear. Liam loves the animals and makes their ’noises’. We were there for four hours. We had a great day. Photo of two otters and Kristin and Liam at the polar bear enclosure.

Jim unloaded the motorbike off the truck, and the weather was mostly good for the week, except for a couple of rainy, cool days.

Jim and I did the rounds of Western New York food - Sahlens hot dogs and webers mustard, red hots, beef on ‘weck, WNY pizza, Buffalo chicken wings, Chiavetta’s chicken, Mighty Taco, John & Mary’s subs - actually did some of them twice! Oh, and Labatt’s Blue Light Lime beer is new this summer and very refreshing!

Jimmy flew up from Florida on the Thursday for the Rally and borrowed one of Joe’s bike for the weekend.

Jim and I rode down to the rally by ourselves on Friday morning. The weather was great and we got to the KOA Campground at Westfield early in the afternoon. Art bought Jimmy’s moto guzzi jackal earlier in the year and this was his first rally on a bike, he was very excited!

There was a cabin that had been booked, but the people could not make it, so Jim and I took it, instead of setting up a tent (there was rain forecast). Still needed sleeping bags, pillow, towels, etc. It was on the other side of a small creek from the campgrounds. There was a footbridge a distance away, so we mostly crossed the running creek via stepping stones. That was a challenge! Though opted for the bridge at night!

Our cabin up on the creek bank.

A lot of people were already there, some had been there since Wednesday. A funny coincidence was that a Guzzi rider from Ontario met three blokes about 1 km from the rally campgrounds, two on guzzi‘s, one on a triumph. He asked them if they were going to the rally. They said, “yes” and mentioned that they had two weeks to get there. They were New Zealanders who bought motorbikes online, flew to the east coast and planned to ride them to the Moto Guzzi National Rally in Oregon (west coast) at the end of June. They had no idea there was another Guzzi rally just down the road. Murray, John and Don ended up staying for two nights at the WNY rally.

Saturday morning Jim, Art and I went on the mystery ride. There was a Farmer’s Market in Westfield Town Square, so we called in there for an 'all you can eat' pancake breakfast.

The mystery ride was about 130 kms of back roads and through a few areas we had not been before. There were road directions and a list of ten questions concerning the towns/area. It was fun, and we got back to the rally mid afternoon and socialized. We have been to this rally 5 or 6 times and always did the winery trail, so the mystery ride was a nice change.

There was a loop frame lineup. Loop frames being the moto guzzi style from late 1960’s to mid-1970’s. Thirteen were lined up and it was an impressive display of old bikes.

Lee, the rider who hit the deer after leaving the rally the previous year has restored his damaged bike (a 1970 moto guzzi) and it is beautiful again. He recovered from his injuries too.

Jim and I went for a walk to the Barcelona Lighthouse about 1 km from the campgrounds. We always ride past it, but I wanted a photo!

Internet: Built in 1829, standing 40 feet tall and constructed of the local beach stone with 2 foot thick walls, it was built in response to the opening of the Erie Canal and the increased traffic that would travel the area. What makes this light so unique is the fact that she was powered by natural gas. This was the first Lighthouse in the world and the first public building in the U.S. to be powered by natural gas. A nearby pocket of natural gas was found under a creek bed. The gas was then piped (wooden pipes) over to the lighthouse to power the lantern.
The lighthouse and keeper's residence were sold to private owners in 1872. The tower was relit by a modern gas lamp in 1962. The light remains lit courtesy of the owner and the town of Westfield, which pays for the gas.
The Barcelona Lighthouse is believed to be the oldest existing structure of its kind on the Great Lakes.

Saturday night was relaxing with chicken barbeque dinner and the awards - 117 in attendance. The huge bonfire was the main attraction later that night.

It was raining lightly Sunday morning and on and off during pack up.

Jimmy, Jim and I headed to Sunset Beach about half way to Buffalo and visited the Stroud family. Jim and Dave are friends from high school days. Their elder daughter, Jacqui lives in South Carolina now, and was visiting her parents. Jim and I had not seen her since her wedding about 15 years ago, Jimmy had not seen her for about 20+ years. We all had lunch at the pub on Lake Erie.

Jimmy flew back to Florida Monday, Jim and I did a last round of visiting and eating. Tuesday morning we headed across the border to Oakville, Ontario and loaded. The steel frames were not ready and there were two trucks they wanted to load first. The paint was still wet when we put tarps over it. It was 7pm when we finished.

4000kms was an easy run over five days. Crossing Nebraska the wind was blustery and the added side pressure tore our tarpe on the edges of the steel frames. We had padded the sharp edges before tarping, but the tarps rubbed through, then split. We had four large tears about 40cms long, and many smaller cuts and rub throughs. We had to peel both tarps back and patch the large tears. Not easy to do, but easier than taking both big tarps off and trying to patch them while spread out on the truckstop parking lot in high winds!!! Then put them back on. That would have been impossible!

En route we stopped to get a wheel alignment (re-do of the one done in March because the tyres were wearing odd), truck wash, oil change and replaced two shock absorbers.

We spent one night at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah rest area. Had been there before and it is always fascinating and spectacular. We were there for sunset and sunrise.

Tourist Sign: The Bonneville Salt Flats is a densely-packed salt pan in Northwestern Utah.
Utah’s famed measured mile is located approximately seven miles beyond this rest area, well in front of the mountains you see on the horizon. The elevation along the course is approximately 4218 feet above sea level. The total length of the course that includes the measured mile varies from year to year, but for recent runs it has been laid out in a path 80 feet wide and approximately ten miles long (16 kms). Due to the curvature of the earth, it is impossible to see from one end of the course to the other. Timing of world land speed record runs is under the jurisdiction of the American Automobile Club.
The photo was taken at sunrise.

Arrived in Reno, Nevada on Saturday afternoon in time for happy hour at The Alamo Casino and Truckstop! The bar has poker machines embedded into the bar, if you are playing, your drinks are complimentary. Jim always puts $10 in and plays 25 cents at a time, so he plays slowly until ready to leave. I opted for $1 margaritas. Jim had four premium beers (Fat Tire) 16 oz glasses, I had three margaritas, we each had four tacos and our bill came to $6.31! Add in Jim’s $10 in the poker machine and $8 tip to waitress - we had dinner and drinks and a nice evening out.

Delivered in Oakland, California on Monday morning. Our shipment was part of a shooting range. Not sure of it’s destination as we delivered it to a warehouse and then it will be shipped overseas.

The next load was 20 kms south, crane parts from Bigge Crane.

Website: Bigge is North Americas largest crane sales and crane rental company. We specialize in heavy lift, heavy rigging and specialized transportation projects. Our headquarters are in San Leandro, CA.

This delivered in southern Washington state - a 700 mile (1130 kms) run.

Bighorn Wind Power Project: A few miles south of Bickleton is the area’s first large wind power electrical generating plant. It consists of 133 wind powered turbines. Situated in an area known for it’s exceptional wind resources.
There are many more turbines being put up, we had crane parts needed for the construction.

We easily saw over 1,000 wind turbines in an hour - they were everywhere along the ranges and valleys and river!

The highway via Roosevelt, Washington was very steep and twisty, over a mountain range and overlooking the Columbia River. Then 19 kms (11 miles) of dusty gravel/dirt road.
Bickleton is known as the bluebird capital of the world. Thousands of bluebirds spend most of the year in the area.
Saw many bluebirds!! And a fox and deer. Along both sides of the road were small birdhouses attached to fence posts. Wildflowers were spectacular as well.

Jim’s cousin, Marianne lives in Parkdale, Oregon. We haven’t had the opportunity to visit her there for several years, so spent the Tuesday night with Marianne, Vic and their two sons, Greg and Pete were there for dinner.
Their back deck has the most awesome view - Mt Hood!
Vic estimated that Mr Hood was approx. 12 miles away (20 kms). I put the deck beam in the photo to give it perspective!

We spent the afternoon watching an assortment of wild birds and animals in their backyard. Stellar blue jays, quail, pigeons, hummingbirds, wrens, and a huge squirrel.

Internet: Approximately 3,500 m (11,300 ft), Mount Hood is host to twelve named glaciers or snow fields. More than 80% of the glacial surface area is above 7,000 feet (2,100 m).

Wednesday we deadheaded to John Day, Oregon to attend the 39th Annual Moto Guzzi National Rally held from 24 to 27 June.

Internet: The city was named for the nearby John Day River which had been named for a Virginian member of the 1811 Astor Expedition. The first homestead staked in 1862 when gold was discovered. By 1887, John Day was home to nearly 1000 Chinese immigrants, who had been attracted to the area by the gold rush.

Held at the Grant County Fairgrounds, lots of space - we pulled the whole rig in and parked by the entrance and unloaded the motorbike. About 50 people were already there, even though the rally didn’t officially start until noon Thursday. We discovered the Dirty Shame Saloon in town for dinner Wednesday evening.

Maps and suggested rides were available - great motorcycle roads were marked and had the number of corners in some stretches!

Ride scenic Eastern Oregon and take in the dramatic contrasts from geological formations of Fossil Beds National Monument to grass valleys, pine forests, and high desert sagebrush and juniper covered slopes with mountain peaks in the distance. Canyons carved alongside the many streams and rivers through national Forests and Wilderness Areas.
Every direction and every road was spectacular.

Thursday we went for 200 km (120 mile) ride around the north of John Day. Beautiful scenery, roads running beside winding streams and rivers, through pine trees, then rolling hills of grassland and mountains and the Umatilla National Forest. The scenery constantly changes. Very little traffic!

Thursday evening it was back to the Dirty Shame Saloon for pizza with friends.

Friday morning we went to the Out Post Restaurant for huckleberry pancakes - yummo! (In the bar, huckleberry margaritas were available, but I didn’t get back there!!! Also, huckleberry ice cream...)

Jim and I went for a 200 km ride to the south and west of John Day. First stop was the Fossil Beds Mascall Overlook.
John Day country is an elaborate mosaic of geologic action. Here time is measured in millions of years.
Eastern Oregon is a virtual time machine to the past. Go back some 44 million years ago to the land of three-toed horses, saber-toothed tigers, prehistoric bear-dogs and giant pigs.
At the Mascall Overlook view the awesome Picture Gorge and classic, stacked, black basalt lava flows and beautiful layered, soft, collection of volcanic ash mounds and a very rare silica enriched, pink, “pyroclastic cloud deposit” called the Rattlesnake Ignimbrite.

More beautiful roads, scenery, etc.!! We had an incident - blew the baffle out of an exhaust pipe! It was still in the pipe, so Jim kept it and pop riveted it back in the next morning.

Friday evening dinner at the pavillion: chili, cornbread and strawberry shortcake. Saturday morning there was a cooked breakfast in the pavillion as well. We ate well at the rally!

Saturday we went for a 300 km (200 mile) ride to Baker City north east of John Day.

A replica of a covered wagon used on the trails west by early pioneers and travellers. Near Prairie City and the Strawberry Mountain range and wilderness in the background, still snow in the high elevations.

Baker City is a community steeped with tradition and history. Granted its city charter in 1870, Baker City was once considered to be the premier social center along the Oregon Trail and once boasted the largest population of any city in the state of Oregon. During an era when gold mining was the norm, Baker City was born as a support center for the surrounding gold mining towns.

We traveled over Dooley Mountain which had 188 corners, someone had counted them! Had lunch in an old bar in Baker City, then headed back to John Day via another spectacular road and stopped at Melgone Lake.

Most of the roads we travelled in the area were marked as “Journey Through Time - Oregon Scenic Byway”
Uncommonly rich in history, this route tells stories of fortunes made and lost, of Chinese laborers, of towns boomed and busted, of timber, agriculture, and pioneer settlers. It also tells a special story of the earth's history; of sea beds which have long been dry and of extinct creatures.

L to R: The Kiwi's: Don, John (Lesley & Jim) and Murray.

351 people attended the rally - the Kiwi's arrived on Thursday, Howard from Maryland was at the WNY rally and was at this one too, also Rod from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland whom we met there last year.
Many of our moto guzzi friends from around the country. Socializing kept us very busy, though lots of people we would have liked to spend more time with. Met some interesting ‘new’ people too!

Ten new moto guzzi model demo bikes were available for test rides, provided by north-west dealers.

Saturday evening dinner was lasagne, salad and bread pudding. The awards were impressive: our friend, Dennis won the Peoples Choice and the Rat Bike awards! His forty year old eldorado is remarkable and he travels all over the USA on it!
Florida friend, Dale Senn won the longest distance ridden to the rally from his home in Cocoa - 4660 kms (2900 miles). A friend from Wisconsin's son won the youngest rider: Patrick Kelly age 26!

The weather was perfect for the rally - warm, sunny days and cool nights. (Locals said that it snowed three weeks prior...)

Most people were packed up and gone by 11am on the Sunday when we left.

We loaded Monday morning, 28 June in Portland, Oregon - a 400 km deadhead (260 mile) from John Day. Eight bins of hazardous material (calcium carbide). Calcium carbide’s main use is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide.
The reaction of calcium carbide with water was discovered in 1862, this reaction is the basis of the industrial manufacture of acetylene. Calcium carbide reacts with nitrogen at high temperature to form calcium cyanamide.
Calcium carbide is used in carbide lamps, in which water drips on the carbide and the acetylene formed is ignited.
Trivia: Carbide lamps were used extensively as headlights in early automobiles.

The calcium carbide delivered to a gas and equipment shop in Escondido, California on Wednesday, 30 June. It will be used to make acetylene.