Blog 30: Dang Olympics AND Space Exploration are messing with my blogging time.
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There is a war waging inside of me: The inner geek is loving the Curiosity landing…freaking genius. The inner jock is loving the Olympics. And the inner blogger is taking a nap. Sigh, can’t we all just get along??
So yesterday I missed my First Day of Seca blog. I hope to do that one tonight and make today a double blog day.
But first…a quick and easy blog…It is my uneducated attempts at marketing and publicity for Brammo, Mars Style.
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Only one Enertia ad….Brammo is pushing the Empulse now, so….
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I will make a few Olympic ones, but have to be careful as the Olympics go after EVERYBODY who uses their name or images…Crazy.
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Till Next Time…
Gavin
For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
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PS…It has come to my attention that Ryan Reynolds wanted a Mission R electric motorcycle, but Mission only made the one race bike and it wasn’t for sale at any price. So Brammo get Ryan Reynolds an Empulse R like yesterday. It will be great and easy publicity. The freaking story writes itself:
Ryan Reynolds, who has played both DeadPool and The Green Lantern (and was married to The Avenger’s Black Widow) drives a Brammo Empulse electric motorcycle….
It would be all over the press in like ZERO* time…and it would be good for Brammo to work fast before some other company* jumps in…
I’ve always said Brammo needs to get a bike to Brad Pitt since he loves motorcycles. Ryan Reynolds would be almost as good and he already wants a fast electric motorcycle. The Empulse is the only “fast” production bike available. And,since Mr Reynolds is Canadian, he could end up being a spokesman for Brammo when Brammo sales start up in Canada, eh.
g
google image search Ryan Reynolds Motorcycle and you get tons of photos…I will have to “shop” one of these later…
Blog 29: I meet the Brammo people and get put to work.
It will be a theme throughout the weekend. Yesterday’s Blog was Heading Home. Today we go “back in time” to the morning before Laguna Seca started. To the morning before 17 Mile Drive. Better get my Enertia up to 88 mph…
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Basically the 4 day weekend went like this: “Hello. Nice to meet you Gavin. Now get to work.”
Adrian told me I would be a VIP, but I didn’t know that meant Very Indentured Person. Luckily is was a fun, though tiring, form of servitude.
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The Brammo Team got to Laguna Seca around 8am. I didn’t arrive till 11. So I missed out on the fun of unloading the Dino DNA truck (my daughter would LOVE that truck).
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So much vacuuming needed done on that horrid outdoor carpeting. Shudder.
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Unloaded, but still tons of work to be done. Posters to hang, bikes to set up…and a 3-D hanging poster board to be made…strangely enough that duty fell on my shoulders**.
Why? Why not I guess.
**Duty fell on my shoulders…hehehe.
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Getting there.
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MY three dimensional sign…So much duct tape on the inside. Box cutters and duct tape can do anything. Not necessarily pretty, but the job was done.
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How Adrian looked 80 percent of the time 🙂 He’s a busy man with that phone.
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Can Brammo make this the next priority now that the Empulse is basically done? People love the dirt bikes.
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Lots of new pamphlets to hand out.
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And finally the tent is done for the day. Adrian is looking at his watch and seeing how the timing is going for our 17 Mile Drive ride. We made it easily.
Only thing missing in the tent is the Empulse TTX, which will go in the center. It is coming with the race team Friday morning.
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Some riding in Video.
First “morning” ride to Seca fooled me. This was at 11am, so I thought every morning would be nice…WRONG.
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Riding up the hill to Seca. 16% grade. Enertia handled it like nothing. I started looking for 32% grade hills.
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A much more typical 7:30 am drive into Seca. Cold, Wet, Foggy. Grrrrr…Fingerless gloves was a bad choice.
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Long Video
This is one of the ways to exit Laguna Seca. It was labeled “Motorcycles only” the first time I drove it. I didn’t know where it went, but I had to ride it. It was a blast. About 5 to 6 miles of fun twisty road with no cars. I didn’t have my helmet cam that day, but knew I wanted to ride it again. The next time I rode it, it was a bit later in the day and the “Motorcycles Only” sign was gone, but still hella fun. I would ride that road everyday if I had the chance.
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Then it was off to the Brammo Pad to clean up before heading to Pebble Beach. Nice place. HUGE.
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After 17 Mile Drive the whole Brammo Crew headed to Bubba Gumps. While waiting I thought I would ask a question to Zoltar. “When will I get my Plus? Who will be the vaulted BrammoEvangelista? What should I get for Dinner?” You know, the typical questions one asks an Oceanside animatronic fortune teller.
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The Reply:
“Dude, I would answer but that Pink Jelly Belly guy is just freaking me out. Why is he there? What does he want? It looks like he is constantly coming my way, yet his eyes always look the other direction. And why does he look like a stomach in a Pepto Bismol ad? No really, can somebody please get him out of that damn window?!?”
It was the second strangest fortune I’ve ever received.
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So Zoltar was no help.
Luckily the Corona-Rita was:)
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Till Next Time…
Gavin
For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
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Bonus Videos
Bonus Video…2 short clips of Coastal 1. Love that road. I love how the ocean meets mountains in such a close proximity.
shaky and short…iPhone while driving and a motorcycle in the back of the truck.
Blog 28: The Fun is over, now the work begins…1100 miles driving a cage back home.
blog slightly out of order…but I wanted to do this blog for all the pretty photos. Laguna tomorrow…again.
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I wanted to do a little video and photo taking on my trip home. Las Vegas begs to be captured at night. And so I went riding.
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Up on curbs, in the middle of roadways…”You HAVE to stop at the best angle for the photo, Officer”…
I have that line ready. Haven’t used it yet as Vegas, like the Honey Badger**, don’t care about anything.
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Dusk was quite nice that night. I drove up on any curb or sidewalk I wanted. Nobody batted an eye.
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Could you get a more American photo? Flag, Statue of Liberty, electric motorcycle…well maybe….
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Apple Pie…BOOM…for teh win!!!
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Next stop…Nevada and the Hoover Dam.
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All the states I’ve visited have been so friendly…they all Welcome me. I take that as permission to park where I want….
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But not everybody agrees…
Parking here for about 20 seconds to dismount and take this photo and I received a “Stern” warning. Something about Federal Lands and I could get in big trouble. I wondered if the big trouble amounted to a 10 second warning by a rent a cop…but I just pretended not to speak English and drove off, with a polite wave back…trying to remember how many fingers are needed for a proper wave…
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Another area I was not supposed to stop at…but nobody bugged me. If they think I’m going to try and “harm” the dam, shouldn’t they stop me before I get onto the dam??
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Another Dam photo.
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I had a Dam good time. Sorry, it had to be done.
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I had wanted to make one more stop…Meteor Crater. Sadly it was raining…HARD…both times I passed by….So that is saved for next trip.
So far I’ve ridden the Enertia in New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and California. Not bad for a city commuter 🙂
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Till Next Time…
Gavin
For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
Blog 27: Where I wait on Fed Ex, build a 3D sign for the Marketing tent, ride 17 Mile Drive and then have a tasty Coronarita. Fun.
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Ok, I will quote Protomech here:
God-like powers activate!
Yes, I have my MOJO back, BABY! Who says “NO” to Gavin? NOBODY. Let’s see how Thor feels about this:
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Come on, Thor, you can smile better than that
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Much better…though pretty creepy.
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But I’m getting ahead of myself (as usual). The day did not start with my God-Like powers in full effect. My day started with waiting and an ugly ugly orange Gremlin.
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It was in Kingman, Arizona (about 400 miles from home) that I realized I didn’t have my helmet cam. Way too far to turn back. But I really wanted that cam to record our ride on 17 Mile Drive (that was approved by the Pebble Beach’s Executive Team some time earlier. I had been keeping that info secret). So my wife was sending it by Fed Ex, and I was pacing like a panther waiting for it to arrive. Front Desk to Room to Front Desk to walk around the parking lot to Room to Front Desk. I knew that the Brammo Team was getting to Laguna Seca at 8 am to start setting up and I wanted to get there ASAP. It was now 10am and no FED EX.
There were two positives that came out of waiting…well positives might be overstating it. One, Brammo needed fishing line and scissors. Since I was just waiting around I stopped my pacing and went out shopping. The sad thing is that I now know where the Walmart is in Salinas, Ca. I had hoped to go the whole trip without going into a Walmart, and here it is less than 24 hours in town and already searching one out. Two, across the street was a crazy ugly orange Gremlin. The first car my brother and I shared was a 1974 Gremlin. Gawd that was a love/hate relationship (with the car, not my brother). Just a horrid horrid car, but still “a car“. And it had a bench seat, which is nice when you’re 16.
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Just an awful car in sooooo many ways. Yet I will always love it dearly.
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So, fishing line and scissors in hand, I headed off from Salinas toward Monterey. I never once saw the sun in Salinas. Foggy, cloudy, damp…Yes. Sun…No. The whole, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in Salinas.” I dressed for New Mexico summer, not a London spring.
It’s at this point that I’m going to go all“Pulp Fiction“ non-linear style. Because I want to cover 17 Mile Drive before I talk about Laguna Seca. Heck, maybe I should cover Laguna Seca tomorrow? So we skip ahead…
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17 Mile Drive: The Ride.
Background. 17 Mile Drive is a lovely bit of road between Monterey and Carmel that runs through Pebble Beach. It follows along the coast and heads inland through some beautiful trees and fun twisty roads. It is a guarded community with private roads and certain rules.
Special note should be made of the highlighted area. There is some confusion of when the last non-resident motorcycle riders have been allow on 17 Mile Drive:
Some say 1992, some say 1972…either way, many many years have passed since the last time. At least a generation.
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I knew Brammo would be staying very very close to 17 Mile Drive and I really wanted to ride that road. I knew we would be on CLEAN, QUIET vehicles. And I knew that electric motorcycles would be the absolute best way to enjoy 17 Mile Drive, while still respecting the environment and people living there. So I emailed to Pebble Beach’s public relations executive. And he was absolutely GREAT. A couldn’t ask for better communication nor a more positive attitude. I was a bit shocked, surprised and extremely happy. I expected a “No”, or a “We would like to, but” or no answer at all. Instead they asked for some background and information and then asked some more questions. They actually contemplated, thought it through and decided to try it and see. Thanks so much Mr. Pierce.
But enough of that: Photos is what this blog is all about.
Bikes charging up at Laguna Seca before The Ride. We had approval for 5 bikes, 5 riders. 1 rider had to cancel, so 4 bikes went.
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The ride was sent up for us to hit the gate at 5 pm. The downside is that the Brammo team had been working so hard getting set up that they started thinking maybe they should just skip the ride. I, and I think they too, were glad they didn’t bail. But you’ll have to ask them.
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Our destination
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A screen capture from video of us at the gate. The security team was expecting us and SUPER NICE.
They asked about the bikes (where are they made, how fast do they go, etc) and didn’t charge us to enter.
Mr. Pierce, they were great. Give them a raise 🙂
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Adrian Stewart asking if it was alright for Sarah to ride…forgetting my powers. Nobody says NO to me.
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First Stop is Point Joe and asking strangers to take our photo.
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4 bikes, 5 riders. Our GANG took over 17 Mile Drive.
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leaving Point Joe
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Second Stop…the Famous Lone Cypress. Adam and Sarah posing.
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The Lone Cypress is the official logo of Pebble Beach.
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heading toward the Lone Cypress
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parking at the Lone Cypress
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It is a wonderful drive. And I am so happy to have ridden it with other riders. Go Team Brammo! 🙂 I hope Pebble Beach finds a way to allow more riders on this lovely roadway.
I did get a few comments already on-line that I thought I would share with you:
“Well done Gavin. It’s great to see that:
a) the folks at Pebble Beach are not doing blanket rejection of motorcycles.
b) Gavin was able to effect real change by asking nicely.
The “Electric = more roads open to motorcyclists” argument has also been made “loud and clear” with things like dirt bike tracks in cities. There’s no way that people would put up with those bikes with ICE’s, but no problem with electrics.”
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“Wow, my image of Pebble Beach just skyrocketed!
As a motorcyclist, I used to think their excuses for banning bikes were just that, excuses. But if they are open-minded enough to let EV bikes out there, then I’ll man up and be open-minded about Pebble Beach too.
I honestly never thought they would let you guys do it, Gavin. I certainly was proven wrong in a big way!! Good work”
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I sent those messages directly to Pebble Beach and they were very appreciative.
This is great, Gavin. Thank you for sending these thoughts and sentiments along. They will go a long way in reviewing this policy moving forward.
And wouldn’t it be great if electric bikes opened up new places to ride, open up new thoughts on what a motorcycle is, what a motorcycle can be.
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Laguna Seca will have to wait for tomorrow’s blog.
Till Next Time…
Gavin
For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
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Bonus 17 Mile Drive videos:
from security gate to Point Joe
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leaving the Lone Cypress
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following the other bikes after I had made a wrong turn.
Blog 26: A short discussion on the Brammo Empulse TTX…and then off to bed.
Tuesday to the following Tuesday. 2223 miles on the pick-up truck. About 150 miles on the Enertia. Over 100 of those at either 7 am and in 52 degree cold, damp and foggy weather, or at 11pm in cold and damp and foggy weather. So I plan to hit my bed hard soon.
But first:
1. I have many photos, many videos and many many stories to tell. They will trickle out over the next couple of weeks.
2. I didn’t plan to write a blog this evening, but I wanted to discuss one aspect of this weekend…the Empulse TTX. Not everything about the TTX, but an important detail.
3. I am a fan, and maybe also a friend, of Brammo. I was invited out to Laguna Seca by Brammo. I am not an employee of Brammo. I am not paid by Brammo. I do not know any secret plans of Brammo. But I do have a semi-close relationship with Brammo…if one can have a close relationship with a company…maybe one can as “Corporations are People” 🙂
Still I am a fairly observant person…and I watch a lot.
So…I have been reading a lot on-line about the TTX and the how it relates to Brammo Racing and the TTXGP eSuperSport class. A nice article here:
And I wanted to maybe clarify a detail or two. Again, I don’t know Brammo’s plans. Perhaps Brammo themselves are not set on exactly what, when and where they will proceed further in racing. After all they did just add a second rider in Eric Bostrom at Seca. That said:
1. Brammo had a production Empulse and took off a few bits (turn signals, tail light and bracket) and changed out the stock color for the race colors (still in light-weight carbon fiber).
She was a production Empulse R just a week before Laguna Seca.
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Close Up.
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A nice little video with James, the new Empulse Touring guy, going through the gears. He is going to do great as he loves this bike…and put about 700 miles on it before it got the TTX trim (so yes it is a ready to go, fully functional bike).
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2. Brammo then put a name on the bike:
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3. And they just happen to have a rider with that name 🙂
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4. Who happen to try out the bike:
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5. And then stuck around to talk about the bike:
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What we know: Brammo has a production bike in race dress that fits the TTXGP eSuperSport category. Brammo has a rider for that bike. And Brammo has a race team that can support that bike and rider. Which leaves us with actual production and sales.
I was a bit surprised when I re-read the rules. I was wondering about the Empulse TTX. It seemed ready to go. Rider, bike and Team. Would it race sooner than we thought? So I went to the TTXGP site…
25 units available for sale. Not sold. Not on the road. Brammo can have 25 units in their showroom in Ashland and race at Miller.
Will they? I don’t know. But they say they are in production now. I imagine they will be working long long hours to get 25 bike built between now and the end of August. I do know the hurdle is just a bit lower than I previously thought. And I think Brammo will race 3 riders at Miller if they can.
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Till Next Time…bed calls with it’s siren song….
Gavin
For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
Ha, trick question…all vacations are like work. Planning, getting here or there. Schedules…etc etc
There is a reason everybody comes back from a vacation and says, “I should have taken a couple of days to recoup from my vacation.”
So I began my “vacation” with a 12 hundred mile drive. And now I am up at 6:30 to get ready for the third day of my “vacation”…many hours at Laguna Seca setting up paddock and tents…followed by group ride and dinner plans…a full day followed by other full days followed by 12 hundred mile ride home…I will need to recoup from this vacation for sure…but didn’t take any extra days, so will go to real work next Wednesday and complain that I should have taken a couple of days to recoup…rinse and repeat.
This morning I find my roommate is hogging the bathroom…I hate that about her…
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A variation on “I park where I want”.
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Waiting for the helmet cam (which I forgot…because I’m an idiot) which is coming to the Motel by overnight delivery (thanks D 🙂 ) and then off to the Raceway.
The blog posts will be short, but I will try and post 2 or 3 a day for the next couple of days.
Then a big Magnus Opus at the end when I have a real computer in front of me…I love me iPad, but she is in truth a lovely toy…oh she does what she does well, but there are times when you need a full computer..
Well gotta run, or ride…or fight the Enertia for some bathroom time.
Love and fishes…
G
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For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
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Has nothing to do with this trip or blog post…but our “random photo of the day” is:
Yep, me in Florida giving a Manatee a “tittie twister”. I find that I put on a mask and snorkel and suddenly I am the bully of the sea. Purple Nerkle an octopus? Can do. Wet Willy that sea turtle? You got it…though I’m pretty sure the turtle is already darn wet everywhere. And when you meet a manatee for the first time, well is it a normal reaction to grab his/her boob? And take a photo of it?
What is wrong with me?**
**well a lot probably…but in my defense…I blame society…plus Manatees like to be scratched and rubbed, which is what I was doing…scratching his/her chest, that he/she presented to me…they are basically the slow moving whores of the sea. Lounging around, eating a lot and wanting to be touched…heck, they are the stoned teenagers of the sea…or anybody at a Rave on E.
Blog 24: where I lay in motel bed and listen to the Enertia charging in the bathroom.
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The battery fan droning is almost hypnotic…I doubt I can write much as sleep is pulling down my eyelids with gentle fingers.
But a brief rundown:
Got up at 6:30am to ride the strip. Last night the strip was beautifully bathed in neon glow and bustling bodies…and way way WAY too many cars. 9 miles took 1 1/2 hours. Painful.
I wanted to ride early the next morning hoping I would miss the crowds but still get some neon lights…
I miscalculated. No eastern mountain like at home to block the early sunrise and keep the brightness of day locked away for just that little bit longer.
(On the way home next week I will set the alarm clock for 4am…late enough to have less traffic, but still dark enough to have lights burn bright and shiny)
By 7am the Sun was a fair amount up in the sky, much more than expected. But I still had a nice little ride this morning before packing and heading out of Vegas.
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First stop, Egypt
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Then New York City. Riding on the strip for the second time helped me know where to park and not get hit by cars.
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Then Italy
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And finally, Paris.
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Then in the truck and off to Cali…hills that is…swimming pools, movie stars…
Decided that 8 hours and 500 plus miles was too short of a day, so took the long way…Coastal Highway 1. Beautiful road. But added 70 miles and 1 1/2 hours to the ride.
But got to see and smell the ocean. I don’t know what it is, memory or reality or a mixture of both, but the ocean air in Cali is different than the ocean air of the East coast. Stronger, saltier. Perhaps it is the fact that the wind comes off the ocean stronger and is held in more by the coastal mountains.
Whatever it is, I love it. For me it smells of childhood…of sand too hot to walk on, but dig your feet down and the sand is suddenly cool and moist…it smells of goosebumps in August when wet skin and a cloudy day collide…it smells of sun stroke and ice baths…it is relaxing and exciting all at one time…
It is the one thing I miss about living in the desert.
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And then a nice ride up the coast through Big Sur, Carmel, Pacific Grove and finally to my hovel in Salinas with the bathroom taken up by my quietly droning Enertia.
I unloaded the bike and rode down to Laguna Seca raceway. it was in essence a scouting ride. How far is it? How long will it take to ride from the motel? How much battery will it use?
Mostly it was a reason to ride in the open air after being in a cage all day.
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Yesterday it was 100 degrees in Las Vegas. When I get into Salinas it was 60 degrees, overcast and moisture hung heavy in the air (not used to that in Albuquerque). The ride to Laguna Seca is colder than I expected. The road to Laguna Seca is 55 mph, some 65 mph. So I’m riding fast as dusk is falling and the temps are dropping and the cold, wet air seeps into bones. I only brought fingerless summer riding gloves and fingers groan a bit. No scarf and neck chills. It’s freaking SUMMER…why would I need gloves and scarf? Moisture…I have forgotten you…too many years in the desert.
I ride in the cold back at home. But the Sun and the dry hold the cold back…sometimes a lot, sometimes just a bit. But moisture grabs that cold and pulls it deeper. Drags it along and says, “Hey Cold, see that bone there? That’s your home now. Get in there and stay a while.”
I packed a weeks worth of clothes…but I packed a weeks worth of New Mexico summer clothes. I might be off to the store tomorrow to buy some long sleeve shirts and gloves with freaking fingers still attached.
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Till Next Time…
Gavin
For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
As much as I love my iPad, I am horrid at blogging with it. At least the way I want to blog.
So I am adding a few photos and videos here, but don’t expect it to look nice or behave well with others…the blog has taken the social network to an anti-social place…Plus the internet absolutely sucks in my room…slow and painful, like the hangnail scene in Black Swan, but, without hyperbole, a billion times worse
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I have trust issues where I am in Vegas…I couldn’t do this at the Venetian, but then I probably wouldn’t have too either.
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Holy Moley, driving the strip sounds fun…but the reality is like having Capt. Hook give you a prostate exam, but, without hyperbole, a billion times worse.
9 miles in 1 1/2 hours…a part of my soul died…but it could have been heat stroke.
I did go from end to end…and will redo it at 7am…I imagine the traffic will be much much less…jeez I hope so.
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I did some video…will look through it, but likely will get better stuff with less traffic.
In the meantime….a random collection of recent stuff.
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Hooligan!!
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Peek a boo…following my brother to Hotel Parq Central and taking a look at myself in the back window.
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A long video–10 minutes—of driving from Knob Hill to Hotel Parq Central and back through Knob Hill…at sunset.
iPad blogging for the first time, so it could get messy. But I shall forge ahead against all odds. Though it is somewhat less dramatic traveling in air conditioned comfort and a cooler of ice tea in the passenger seat. Hardship thy name is…well not Gavin.
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Ok…so the run down, if anybody cares other than the voices in my cranium (the voices like to pretend they are smart and use words like cranium instead of swollen melon of a head).
Left Albuquerque at 9am, full of piss and vinegar…and driving with a nice new car seat bead thingy. My wife wondered if I had mugged a cabbie…nope, just thought I would try it…a “on a whim” kinda thing…
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Insert visual image of your choosing of New York Cabbie with a brown beaded seat cover…I will not be an active participant at this time…iPad can’t allow me to properly alter any image to my liking.
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Thought about stopping at the Meteor Crater…cuz I LOVE the Meteor Crater. For some reason I can’t drive near it without looking up to the sky expecting a new meteor to hit. Like it would happen just then in the exact same area. But nowhere else do I do that. Look to sky expecting, almost hoping to see huge fireball flying at high velocity toward Arizona desert…crazy.
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When we flew to Seattle, the plane went right over the Meteor Crater…I have no idea why…seemed a strange route. But it made me happy.
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Didn’t stop because it was raining…maybe on the way back.
The rain was on and off. Mostly light rain. Until Flagstaff. I had planned to stop to get gas and a bit to eat in Flagstaff. Seemed a nice halfway point to today’s ride. Just a bit over 300 miles from Albuquerque and I planned to go 600 miles today.
I didn’t stop in Flagstaff…but it felt like I did. It was the hardest rain I’ve seen in years. Almost zero visibility. I was going 30 mph in a 65 mph zone….and I still felt like I was going dangerously fast. I couldn’t see the exits and I really didn’t feel like stopping in a biblical flood, so I pushed on to Williams, AZ for gas and horrid gas mart food.
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Short stop in Williams to stretch legs and then off to first and only detour before hitting Vegas: Hoover Dam.
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On the way back home I think I will take the bike off the truck a couple of miles from the Dam and drive the E over it. Having the bike on the truck felt wrong and wasted. The Dam begged for a more personal experience. A closeness. In the truck I couldn’t feel the mass and weight of the Dam. The heaviness and brute force of it holding back billions of gallons of water. This travel stuff is a constant learning experience.
Anywho…the Dam was Damn nice, as always. And then off to Vegas.
Aside from the downpour, a fairly uneventful trip. Bike stayed upright, truck ran smoothly…so all good…
Except one thing. At Kingman Arizona I had a sudden thought. So I called D and asked, “Hey Honey, I’m driving and can’t look through the truck, but I had a suddenly thought that I left the helmet cam at home. Could you look and see because that would kinda suck as I want to use it some.”
“Yep, sitting hooked up to the computer.”
“Damn,” was my reply…even though I was still 80 miles from Hoover.
Still, not the end of the world, and in the morning D is over-nighting it to Salinas…so I should get it sometime on Thursday. Hopefully in time for our group ride to here:
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Super secret still
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As for now…crappy motel in Vegas…but still I park where I want…
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Once it is no longer hotter than dragon’s piss hitting a propane tank, I still plan to ride the strip…maybe some iPhone video…depends on traffic and the crazy Vegas drivers.
I will be adding some video links here later tonight…so, voices in my head, come back and check this blog a bit later…doing this on the iPad is not nearly as much fun as on a computer…but then the proper tools always helps.
The videos are a mash up of various clips I saved from my “Trashing my videos” adventure.
Blog 21: Off to See the Wizard…The Wonderful Wizard of Charge.
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Well that didn’t really work as a rhyme…maybe next time. Now if only I was going to a Boz Scaggs Concert…Then I could be “Off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Boz…”
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Oh My….that is just a hella nice coat…and hair…and what an obscure reference…
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But I should start with this weekend. Saturday was BUSY. Sunday too. But we will start with Saturday. And that means: RT 66 SUMMERFEST.
Started in 2010 with 20k people…Last year was 30,000. No numbers yet on yesterday, but a ton of people out walking Central from Girard to Washington…It would be so nice to have that area closed permanently to traffic. I think it should be shut down all the time for walking and shopping. Won’t happen, but would be nice.
Only a Mile long, but right by campus and lots of shops and food…perfectly placed for a car free area.
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One of the main draws of the Rt 66 Summerfest…Classic cars in gaudy colors. 🙂 But that engine is smokin’.
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First purple, then Yellow and Orange, then Orange…It’s like a box of crayons for Toddlers. Only bright, crazy colors allowed.
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Getting all set up.
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Dude was taking TWO Pamphlets!! I had to bitch slap him…Nah, if he wants two, he can have two.
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I have perfected the “fan” display of Handouts between the seat and rear light.
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Straight from the set of Breaking Bad to Summerfest…Nah, just how we look in Albuquerque.
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View toward the Aztec Motel sign…I miss that crazy flea bag motel and sad it got torn down. Though I’m glad the city kept the sign.
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View back toward our area. I love that Albuquerque will have horses, bicycles, skateboards and people walking all at the same time.
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The Urban Transport Booth was right across from a cool Neon store…I have a fondness for Neon that is far from inert.
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Nice couple looking at E.
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Enertie and I were official Rt 66 Summerfest Volunteers…the badge came with exactly NO benefits. Sigh.
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I did go and check out the cars…I especially liked this artistic Carb cover.
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And, from an earlier blog (editors note: Blog 17), I saw the same two guys driving the Trolley…So I guess they didn’t steal it.
Free Trolley rides at Summerfest sponsored by Breaking Bad. The show just went from Awesome to Super-Duper AWESOME.
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And I saved the best of Summerfest for last…This boy’s reaction was great. His family was checking out the scooters and I told him to go ahead and sit on the little Bobber we had there. He liked it, but then he came over to the Enertia and was, “OH MY GOD, I WANT IT.” I wish I was filming his first reaction. It was priceless.
And the funny thing is I get asked all kinds of questions from adults. And sometimes by the 5th or 6th question they will ask the price. But never first. The first question from him,
“I want it. How much do you think it is?.” Ah, youth…straight to the point.
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I left the Rt 66 Summerfest around 5:30 to go home and pick up the wife. We got some nice Upper Deck clubhouse tickets to the Saturday Albuquerque Isotopes Triple A Baseball game (the “Topes” are the AAA farm team for the Los Angles Dodgers). Thanks Hayley and Daniel. And since parking is so much faster and easier on the Enertia than a car, well “D” rides with me. And yes the Enertia is a single seat motorcycle…And yes Brammo could get mad at me…But it works fine and the Enertia has no problem hauling D and me around for short trips (Isotopes park is about 7 to 8 miles from our house.) Plus I’ve seen two Brammo employees riding 2 up on Enertia’s, so I know I’m not the first to try it.
Just putting up a couple of photos…Sadly I can’t take a photo of D and I on the Enertia…Will have to get one someday soon.
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Good Seats. Great Company. 🙂
We got to the Stadium a bit early. It’s great to leave home at 6pm for a 7pm game and be in your seats by 6:20. No way can you do that in the “Big City.”
The Official Attendance was over 13 thousand…so a full house.
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“Topes” win 16-3 and a good 15 minutes of Fireworks after the game. A very nice end to a very nice day.
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Time to go pack for SECA…I realize not everybody knows what SECA is, so that will be my job for tomorrow. Well that and driving 500 miles to NEEDLES, CA. And why I picked Needles to stop for the night? No idea. 108 degrees tomorrow. It will be NASTY. Maybe I should push on to Barstow instead?
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Till Next Time…
Gavin
For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
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Bonus Photo
Ok, so by now everybody knows that–all together and with great emotion—“I Park Where I Want!!” (it should be a game show on GSN)…
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Boz Scaggs seems to be everywhere. Maybe he does have Wizard-like powers. Or perhaps my meds need adjusting.
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But that isn’t the Bonus Photo.
Just yesterday I had to come into work on a Sunday, and if that wasn’t bad enough, I found a driver that puts me to shame when it comes to parking where they want.
I bow before the master, I am humbled and I will have to try even harder from now on…
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On second thought, perhaps he is just a bit dense and thought the arrows pointed to either side of his car, instead of the whole area.
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