Brammo Blog (me) is heading to Durango in the morning…so hopefully, weather permitting, there will be lots of pretty photos up in herrre come Monday.
Everyone have a great weekend…I know I will. 🙂
(some photos to sign off with)
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one of the reasons I’m heading North…cooler weather…I hope 🙂
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now to be honest, it wasn’t 116 here, just a bit over 100…but the battery compartment did get to 116 degrees while sitting in the sun. The sun is bright and hot here at 5331 feet. Which is the altitude of my driveway.
Ok, to be REALLY honest, this is the altitude of me lying on the couch in my living room. I just happen to be testing the Altimeter while being in, what my wife fondly calls, That ONE Damn Position Gavin is Always In.
Ok, to be really really honest, there is nothing “fondly” about how she calls me being on the couch. It’s not my fault that we happened to buy a really really comfortable couch.
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My transport truck bumper…Ska Brewing and Brammo. I will be riding one to do a tour of the other. As in, I will be riding the Enertia over to the World Headquarters of Ska Brewing for a tour of their facilities. Tours daily at 4 pm, except on Sunday. Ska is closed on Sundays.
Sadly I will not be able to test their product…maybe just a sample size…Hmmm, does the Durango Trolly go out as far as Ska? Must look into that…and if the Enertia will fit on the back 🙂
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Continuing with the “I Park Where I Want” theme:
The sign probably means no motorcycles inside the cage.
I choose to think it means no parking where I parked too…just so I can be a REBEL!!
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and finally…
this has a triple effect: 1) I am parking where I want…which is directly in front of the restaurant and 5 feet from the door. 2) I am showing that I have zero RANGE anxiety 🙂 and 3) it is one of my families favorite places to eat. So I like giving it some pub…again, pretending that anybody reads this blog…
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Till next time….
Gavin
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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
Blog 9. Number Nine…Number Nine…Number Nine…I’ve got blisters on my fingers!!!**
**did The Beatles Blog?
OK….This will be a very familiar blog post for my friends over at BrammoForum.com as I posted these photos there quite some time ago.
But I thought it would be nice to have them up on my “official” blog. Plus this should be a fast and easy blog entry…and everybody knows how much I like things “fast and easy.”
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So Breaking Bad is filmed here in Albuquerque. And it is a GREAT show. Wonderful writing. Amazing acting. To have a show of this quality filmed here in town is insane…but in the good insane way. Like watching cliff diving: You’re thinking, “Oh my god, that is crazy, but it’s beautiful. I so want to do that, but hell no, I could never do that.”
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But back to Breaking Bad. During Season 2 my cousin, who lives in Pittsburgh and works in film, came to visit and he LOVES Breaking Bad. So we looked around to find some of the filming locations. And surprisingly, Walter’s house is about 4 blocks from my brother’s house, and only one and a half miles from my house.
Cousin and I went around and took photos of him standing by Walt’s house and other sites. And a fun time was had by all (the owner of “Walter’s” house saw us taking photos and came out and talked to us…Nice woman.**)
Fast forward to 2011 and I get a nice little loaner motorcycle from Brammo to test out and I’m thinking, “Where should I go and get some nice local shots that will be interesting to people outside of my family?” I replied to myself, “I should do some Breaking Bad locations with the Enertia in them.” And so I did…and here there are.
These photos are of locations featured in mostly the first and second season, except Jesse’s Grandmother’s house, which is quite active for the later seasons too. I will have to go back and do some later season shots. I’m thinking I will do that: A) when I get MY bike, vs the loaner and B) maybe do it when Breaking Bad is filming in town again so that I “might” be able to see some filming in action. Unlikely, but I could try increasing my “stalker” vibe and bug some film buddies who might be able to get me info on shooting and such.
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1st:
Who’s House? WALT”S HOUSE (shouted in my head in Run DMC style).
The house isn’t quite complete without a pizza on the roof.
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The Administration Building at Walt’s School. Not seen anymore as Walt has moved passed his teaching days
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Walt’s classroom is in this building. I had to “sneak” into this area for the photo. This whole area is enclosed by a metal fenced in area. Truthfully, it was a Sunday and surprisingly one of the gates was open, making my work here quite easy.
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This was Saul Goodman’s office. It has since changed into a bar called Hooligans…somewhat fitting.
Still, You better call Saul, his office is gone.**
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The Crossroads Motel. Ah, art imitating life. This motel was used a lot in the first season. I think the owners thought it would give some good publicity. Instead most viewers think of it, maybe correctly, as a crack whore motel.
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Jesse’s ill-fated apartment. Some sad shit went down in here…And it is available to rent!! So you can share in the sadness.
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This is Jesse’s House. It was Jesse’s Grandmothers house and home of some fun scenes in season one…sadder scene later. Poor Jesse doesn’t get a lot of joy in this series…though I guess nobody gets much joy on this series.
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Ah, more art imitating life. This is the car washed used in Breaking Bad. Walter’s wife wants to buy it to launder his drug money. Interestingly there is another Octopus Car Wash in town (not this one) that is “rumored” to be owned by a local gang to launder money. This rumor has been around longer than Breaking Bad, so I wonder if the writers decided to include a bit of local reality into the show?
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That’s it for the Breaking Bad photos….hopefully when I get my new bike I can add some more.
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On a separate note….Mr. Cranston, if you see this blog ( unlikely, but I remain ever hopeful) and would like a test ride on this Electric Motorcycle…Any Time, Any Place (in Albuquerque). I know you’re hella busy; I also know you’re a scooter guy, but I think you will like the Enertia. Easy and fun and clean. I’m not a sales person, nor affiliated with Brammo, just a fan…of the motorcycle and of your acting.
For a chance to get you to sign the “gas” tank, I would let you borrow her for a day and make a small donation to your favorite charity. I’m not a rich guy, but I would happily give 100 bucks or so to have both your signature permanently attached on my bike and a photo of you by or on the bike to hang in the waiting room at my work (I work at the Children’s Hospital Heart Center here at University Hospital). So if nothing else, you can “do it for the children.” And yes I have no shame using the children that way.
But enough of the groveling…any more and I hit “stalker” level…which I really don’t want to happen….again….for the 4th time. Sigh, so many court appearances and so much paper work involved each and every time.
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Till next time….
Gavin
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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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**Saul Goodman’s Office before it became Hooligans:
and the nice owner of Walter’s House…this was a couple of years ago…so I am sitting in a car…I try to not do that anymore…car’s suck. 🙂
So many meanings here. And such a powerful word. Love, Hate, Freedom, Independence…certain words have an emotion beyond the letters, beyond the dictionary explanation.
Yesterday the meaning, at least here in the States, is tied to this Country’s early fight for Freedom and Independence from England. **
And that is a very powerful statement…Our Country is Independent. We fought, shed blood, lost families all to have a freer, better future.
Years later, with the Emancipation Proclamation, black slaves in this country started a march towards freedom and Independence from being thought of and treated as property.
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Beyond that the meaning can be more personal. At 18 a young person here in the States becomes Independent of their parents. A progression from infant to child to young adult.
Here at Brammo Blog, Independence can be applied to being independent of Oil and Gas and free from the influence and control of countries that don’t really like us. Heck, many of them kinda hate us.
To me that is important on a few levels. Supporting governments of corrupt countries that treat their citizens poorly and would like nothing better than to see us fail and fall, well that seems “wrong”.
At the same time, becoming Energy Independent is a great way to support our own people, our own country. All while improving our Air, our Water, and our Planet for our children. Shipping oil thousands of miles across Oceans is not a very clean method to power our homes, cars, motorcycles. We can, and will, do better.
Beyond even that, Independence can be finding strength within to fight addiction. Strength within to leave an abusive relationship. Strength to find within a voice of Independent thought.
A strong word. A strong thought. A strong concept.
To be free. To be Independent. Everyday can be your Independence day.
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**(Isn’t it strange that the countries we are closest to are the ones we have fought wars with? England was our first war, and now is likely our closest ally. German, two Great Wars, and now close ally. Japan? We freaking dropped two nuclear weapons on them…the only country to ever have a nuclear bomb used against them…and now we are best buds. Not sure what all that means, just interesting to note.)
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Of course a blog post here would not be complete without some Brammo images or news.
July 4th image from Brammo:
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Brammo’s Youngest Rider
She was adorable making the “incorrect” motorcycle sound…this one doesn’t go “bababababababab” Addy. It goes…..”—–“.
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and lastly….Brammo SENT ME AN EMPULSE R!!!!!
Sadly it is a Empulse R mug…oh well…maybe soon enough I will have a nice new Brammo I can RIDE vs drink out of. 🙂
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Till next time….
Gavin
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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
Blog 7, Lucky Lucky 7. Probably not for the people reading this blog, but somewhere there is somebody who is lucky.
This Blog today is a continuation of yesterdays post. My niece (who flew back to South Carolina at the ungodly hour of 6am this morning…bye AP, hope to see you again soon) and I rode in the Pride Parade here in Albuquerque and I used that opportunity to try out my brand new, unopened and untested helmet video camera. I had planned to take some of my video clips and make them into a single movie, which I would then inflict share with all of you. And by “all of you” I mostly mean the clatter of voices in my head.
Just this morning I made a major executive decision, after a brief discussion with said voices in head, and decided to post the individual clips instead.
Why? Some could say laziness. In fact 3 of the clatter voices said laziness. But I beg to differ. If I edited all the clips together there would be one fairly long video that would likely bore the pants of many of my “readers”…and yes I like to live in a delusional world where I actually have readers.
But if I include individual clips:
A) The clips are short and likely/hopefully less boring to watch.
B) Readers get to choose which clips to watch and how many to watch. Watch a couple, watch them all; it is all your Choice. And isn’t that what AMERICA is all about? Choice, Freedom and the option to watch endless YouTube videos of sleeping cats falling off TVs or post-anesthesia children cursing like Longshoreman.
C) Instead of one long introduction to a single clip, I now get to make several, short pithy comments…and I love to be pithy.
D) There is no D.
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I decided to break it down like this: Some pre parade clips, Some parade clips, and a single post parade clip.
We start with PRE PARADE 1
Short clip. 16 freaking seconds of your life. Of course it is also a boring and semi useless clip. But it shows my niece, the Enertia and our place in line (just in front of the Taos Pride truck).** Plus I am just learning how to use the video camera, so I considered this a practice run. Sadly the whole day was a practice run since I couldn’t check how I was doing until I got home and hooked up the camera to my computer.
**We could have ridden with the Dykes on Bikes at the front of the Parade. We did hang with them at first and almost went with them. But they tend to ride fast–well fast for Parades–and I, probably incorrectly, thought it would be better to go slow and be in the middle of the parade. Next year, I will likely be a “Mike with the Dykes on Bikes”…which is a guy who rides with the women up front. It just looks a bit more fun.
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Pre Parade 2
This is where I got bored waiting for the Parade to start and decided to drive around a bit and look at the people getting ready. The Bus was the place to be if you were a gay male. That Bus was ready to party. Clip is 3 minutes and 5 seconds…not horribly exciting, not horribly boring either. Your choice to watch or bail…
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Pre Pride 3…
Ok..12 seconds and purely to show that the TV News was there. I am an attention whore.
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Pre Pride 4…the last pre parade clip…
Again, showing a News van, this time radio. Yes, I am constantly seeking attention and confirmation…I should probably be in Therapy…ok, I should probably be in more Therapy. Ok, I should probably NEVER leave therapy. Shuddup voices!
Plus we get the “Bear” organizer on the microphone telling us to make some noise. His earlier taunt was “People this isn’t a protest parade, this is a Gay Pride Parade. Stop being so somber and make some NOISE.” Bear Dude…we love ya, but it is hotter than the face of the Sun right now and we aren’t moving at all…the only noise I want to make is yelling across the street to http://baileysonthebeach.com/ for, “Una cerveza por favor.”
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Ok, So finally The Parade. I have way too many clips and will try and limit it to just a few.
This first clip is from the very start of the Parade. I let my passenger know that some kids are coming up, so get ready with the Candy. I also notice a small group of Protesters. This actually surprised me. We are a pretty laid back town/city. It shouldn’t have surprise me, but I really didn’t expect anybody to be protesting.
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I didn’t quite get it on camera, but my niece almost nailed the cop with some candy…the female cop had to lean back quickly to avoid the sugary missile. A bit later on my niece did hit a woman right in the forehead, but her aim got better after that. 46 seconds…I think it is worth it to watch just to see the protesters. Sad little people. Wasting energy on hate is silly in this beautiful world we live in. I hope they are happier in their next lives. Happy? Heck, I hope they are downright gay in their next life 🙂
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Parade clip 2.
Short. 32 seconds. I like this one for the woman at 26 seconds in that is pointing and going, “Electric bike. Electric bike.”
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Parade clip 3 is on yesterday’s blog. That one is nice for the people up on the roof of Kelly’s Brew Pub. Not going to post the whole clip a second time.
But here is a screen grab.
Hmmmm, a beer at Kelly’s sounded good at this point of the parade…so did an ice cream at ColdStone Creamery…or just mix them both together…
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Parade Clip 4.
At 5:29 it is the longest clip, but a nice one. This shows the second most crowded spot on the parade.** It feels a bit like the top of a mountain stage in the Tour de France as the crowd really gets in close. Well that and the fact that I had to give a blood sample at the end too…they are really cracking down on performance enhancing drugs here at the Pride Parade. **The most crowded spot is at the end of the parade by the State Fair Grounds…sadly we didn’t quite make it that far…see yesterday’s blog for info on that.
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Clip 5 is cut. So just imagine how mind-crushingly boring it must have been if these other clips made it and this one got cut.
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Clip 6 could be cut, but is only 30 seconds…and at 8 seconds in there is a woman pouring water on her dog to cool the dog down…so that is a bit fun.
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and the last Parade clip…Clip 7.
also short…33 seconds…and largely forgettable. But it does show the Nob Hill location of O’Neill’s Pub…which was featured in my “I Park Where I Want” blog. That and it has me being photographed (4 seconds in) for the millionth time.
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After the Parade, we went to the surface of the Sun…I mean the Zoo. This clip show where I like to park…also featured in “I Park Where I Want”.
You can hear the motor fan running. The clip ends with me looking over to where I am “suppose” to park. Motorcycle Parking? Isn’t everything and everywhere motorcycle parking?
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So that is the Parade…plus 1. Not really much about the Enertia. She did fine. No overheating. With her single gear she is easy as can be to ride “stop & go” type riding. And she never got dizzy nor nauseous like my niece. 🙂
What did I learn about filming with a Helmet Cam?
1) Hold head as still as possible.
2) When I do move head, move slowly.
3) Don’t film parades while in them. Boring.
4) Do film more action footage. Get to the mountains and film the bike going fast on curvy roads. That is much more interesting. For Me, the voices in my head and my imaginary readers.
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Till next time….
Gavin
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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
So this weekend I took the Brammo Enertia for a ride in the Pride Parade. I love riding in Parades…or at least the idea and Utopian concept of riding in Parades. The truth is pretty different though: going 10 feet, stopping, going 12 feet, stopping. Throwing candy to kids. Most of the time they are happy and running to get the candy, which is GREAT! Sometimes they look at it and go, “ok, where’s the good stuff?” Or there’s the 35 year old guy going, “throw me some candy…” Hmmmm, “NO CANDY FOR YOU!!” I say in my best Soup Nazi voice.
Still it is a “certain” kind of fun. As long as you realize there will be mass confusion mixed with stifling boredom in the pre parade set-up (get here an hour early is always what you’re told…still nobody knows where anybody goes and it all just comes down to a free-for-all to get on the road and going…and if you cut off a float filled with 6’6″ guys all dressed like Divine, well, as the Pat Benetar Drag Queen says, “you better run, you better hide” ).
Then the Parade itself will move slower than you think humanly possible. Plus there will be a certain number of kids that look at your FREE CANDY with distain…and a certain number of supposed ADULTS who will be pissed when you don’t throw them candy. Mix in a few mildly brain damaged people that think it is OK to cross from one side of the road to the other while the parade is going on just for fun…AND add in the fact that it will always be on the HOTTEST day of the year for some crazy reason. Stir gently till the Crazy mixes with the Excitement and Energy…then fold in a pinch of Heat Stoke and a dash of Anger…and bake till everything boils over….
Other than that it’s great 🙂
So this was the Pride Parade (vs the Day of the Dead Parade or the Annual Toy Run or other parades I try to do). I like to do the Pride Parade for a couple of reasons. TONS of PEOPLE. It is a very happy and joyous Parade and so is the crowd….Dare I say it is a very happy and gay crowd. It is also the most outrageous parade and crowd (the Day of the Dead is a close second for outrageousness). Plus I love to support my gay family and friends.
This Parade I took my 16 year old niece (image below) who is visiting from South Carolina. She rode on the back of the Enertia and was the one throwing most of the candy (I still threw some as I couldn’t resist…nothing is quite like throwing food on the dirty ground to kids who don’t know you from jack and watching them happily running after it…with their parents approval! What a gloriously strange world we live in…”Johnny, the drag queen just threw you a tootsie roll, say thank you to the nice…person.” Sadly, I was actually dressed kinda boring…helmet, leather jacket, jeans, bright pink over-sized Cod Piece I “borrowed” from the Band Cameo…I pretty much always ride in the same gear).
Not me:) My niece and the Enertia…with bag of candy and Rainbow Chain graphic…the theme of the parade was Pride Links Us Together. I really didn’t do much “decoration”. A) I really can’t compete with the “Pros” and B) I had freaking FREE CANDY. I WIN!!!
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There were lessons to be learned here. Which I will now describe in too much detail:
Some FACTS
The Parade started at 10 am. It is a 2 mile ride from the start at the University of New Mexico to the end at the New Mexico State Fair Grounds. That 2 mile ride takes an hour or so at “Parade Speed.” Parade Speed should replace Jumbo Shrimp as the go-to example for the word Oxymoron. We arrived at the starting point about 9 am and walked around and then drove around and basically mingled and looked at the floats and such. It was already 90 plus degrees and sunny. We had left the house without drinking or putting on sunscreen (I am a horrid Uncle–that actually might be my official title from now on with my in-laws from South Carolina—“Oh him? That’s just my HORRID UNCLE…dum dum dum dum dum dummmmmmmmmmb.”) My niece had never ridden on a motorcycle before. I was being over-protective and not only made her wear my wife’s helmet to the Parade, but also for the whole Parade. It is a full faced helmet. It was hot. We were going slow with constant stopping and starting and somewhat jerky motions as I was unaccustomed to riding with a passenger who kept changing the center of gravity of the bike by throwing candy.
So….1.5 miles into what I thought was a nice little parade ride, my lovely niece leans forward and says, “We need to stop, I feel dizzy and think I might throw up.” As a father, and now grandfather, I know those words all so well…and know that I ignore them at my peril. “Ok, there is a side road up ahead and a break in the crowd. I’ll pull off there.”
She also did not quite understand how the D-Ring of a motorcycle helmet functions. So I am quickly helping her get her helmet off, the whole time she is bending over and making retching sounds……and it all was fine. Ha, you thought I was going to get covered in puke, didn’t you…Nope, this wasn’t college…but that is another story.
It was the end of our Parade. I took her to a Wendy’s on the corner, got her some water and kept her in the Air Conditioning (which is a Gift from God on days like that). Then I called my wife and had her come by and pick the niece up ( We were all heading to the Zoo after the parade, and this way I got to have some fun riding the motorcycle that I can’t have with a dizzy nauseous teenage on the back. Plus I really didn’t want to have her put the helmet on again.)
So what did I learn? 1. Hydrate. You would think I would have learned that by now having lived in the high desert for the last 17 years. Nope. It is a lesson I must learn over and over again. It is my mental Groundhog’s Day. My mental Prometheus. 2. Sunscreen. see hydrate for how stupid I am. 3. To Helmet or Not to Helmet, that is the Question…actually, no you idiot, that shouldn’t be a question at all. In a parade when it is 100 degrees and you’re going basically negative miles per hour, do not make your niece wear a full faced helmet. 4. If you forget 1,2 and 3 for some reason, expect your wife to give you “that look” when she comes to rescue your niece. The look that says, “Dear God, I’ve married a complete and utter imbecile…How did this happen and how can I kill him in his sleep and get away with it? 5. There is no 5.
I was too busy riding and making my niece nauseous to take photos. I did do some video…that I need to edit…but here is a short clip:
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This is just a random clip I grabbed. I had planned to edit down the clips, but I think I might just put up a few clips and not make an “official” video. This is the first time I used my new ContourRoam helmet camera. I have a lot to learn.
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After the Parade we all went to the Zoo (because, really, where else do you want to go at noon on a day that is 100 plus degrees other than a place where multiple exotic animals are sleeping in their odoriferous and slowly baking poo). Here is a clip of me catching up to the wife and giving her a wave…
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You can’t see, but she waved back…but I think she might have had a cramp in her hand as she didn’t hold up all her fingers when she waved.
I will put up the other clips tomorrow.
Till then…have a blast…
Gavin
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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
No real post today, or any Friday. Brammo Blog believes the 5 day working week should die quickly and forever be forgotten…like Pet Rocks or High Colonics.
It is an affront to Man’s natural state of Sloth.
So Friday, Saturday and Sunday are days of play, party, sleep, leisure and riding.
Tomorrow I ride in the Pride Parade and will take photos and try out my new Helmet Video camera.
So lots of fun stuff to write about on Monday…and hopefully some video…
Really looking forward to using the helmet camera on some of our great mountain rides here in New Mexico…and for next weekend when I’m up in Durango…
Good times…everybody have a great weekend…
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
**(and not the horrible band from the late 1990 to early 2000s…of course anything by them would/should be free. Probably they should give any listener compensation, basically a form of payment understanding the pain inflicted on the listener.)
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One of the things I love about the Enertia is that is is somewhat small, light and easy to take just about any place…which I do. Then I park her just about any place I want.
No oil drips, no gas smell, no hot exhaust pipe. I have never had a complaint nor been asked to move the bike. In fact, if I do get stopped it is not to move the bike, but to be asked many many questions about her.
So today’s Photo Journal is all about “Parking where I WANT!” Cuz I’m tough like that 🙂
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Photo 1:
Summer Adult Kickball League** has just started. Do I park with the cars on the street? NO! I park on the FIELD. Try and stop me….
Yes, it is behind our Shade Tent, but still technically on the field.
**and Yes, Adult Kickball…go ahead and insert Oxymoron jokes…but it is fun and Deanna joined up, so having the wife play is nice.
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Photo 2:
I take a trip to the fantabulos Albuquerque Zoo. Do I park in the parking lot with the cars? NO, I park next to the adorable Roadrunner sculpture right at the front entrance. Try and stop me.
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Photo 3:
I head to O’Neill’s Pub at their Knob Hill location (Parking in the back only. Parking in the back is for LOSERS). Do I park in the back with the cars and the losers? NO, I park right off Central Ave right in front of the dog entrance….cuz I love DOGS…Try and stop me.
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Photo 4:
I’m riding on campus and want to have an animated discussion with the bronze Lobo sculpture (it was a Wednesday, my day to discuss Camus and Existentialism with random metal objects.) Do I look for visitor parking? NO! I park on the sidewalk next to the LOBO.** –all together– “TRY and Stop Me!”
**(Lobo was particularly bristly that day…trying to argue back, “Gavin, what you fail to see is that language is no longer spoken by man to express a true inner self, but that language speaks man. But what do I know? I’m just a metal Wolf permanently a fixed to this concrete block, forever watching each person walk by. The interactions, the loneliness, the joy’s and sadness, the failure to accept the human self as free yet fleeting.” And I said, “Ha, yes, you’re just a Wolf. You lose. I WIN!”)
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Photos 5-8:
A bit of a theme here…Parking in No Parking and riding past One Way signs. Do I look for a different area to park? Do I listen to One Way signs (on days other than Wednesday)? NO. Again, all together now and with feeling: “Try and Stop ME!”
(and yet I parked, and I assume it was some portion of ANY TIME…suck it sign!)
(again, I laugh at your thin metal sign and it’s attempts to limit my parking options.)
Oh, and it’s not just parking…Wrong Way?? MY WAY is never the Wrong Way!!
(ohhh, you know I drove right up that road. Till I came to a car going the “right way” and quickly U-Turned and waved the Universal “Oops, My Bad” hand signal)
Do Not Enter? Oh, you better believe I ENTERED! Twice.
(This is the Ranger’s Station in Tijeras, one of my favorite rides. It was Sunday and nobody was there.)
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Photo 9:
The Warrior Dash. Ok, some background. This is the first time the Warrior Dash (a muddy obstacle course run for charity) has come to New Mexico. It had only one road in and one road out…and that road was a dirt road. Over 10,000 people showed up and it took hours for most people to get there and then park 1/4 of a mile from the Entrance. ME? I rode on the side of the road past all the stopped cars and parked within 50 feet of the Entrance. It was Glorious.
(same getting home…easy and fast…and muddy.)
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Sidewalks, bike racks, beside the ticket office at the movies, under the shade of a tree…IT IS ALL FAIR GAME….plus it is easy to park between cars just about anywhere. Though I do try and take a full space, and the best space, because I can!!!
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I’ve showed this next photo before, but it brings up the point of both Parking and Free Juice. Here I’ve stopped at the Blackbird Buvette for a bite to eat. While eating I grab a nice parking spot between cars and get some free juice to fill up the battery. And if I sit and eat for an hour I get 10 more miles of riding, the Blackbird gets my food and drink money and it costs 10 cents in electricity. Win Win Win. And you CAN’T DO THAT WITH GAS. First off, 10 cents in gas would get you half a block. Secondly, just try asking your waiter to fill up your car’s gas tank for free while you sit and eat. Not only will the answer be no, but you will get sooooooo much spit in your food that you will think you ordered soup instead of a Bagel Bird sandwich.
(and i didn’t pay the meter either…boom! I am not a rebel…I AM THE REBEL.)
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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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Lobo:
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“you know this isn’t you…you don’t act this way.”
me: “Shuddup, you’re just a Wolf…I WIN! And it’s not Wednesday. Plus I did the “Talking Sun” thing yesterday, I can’t do that two days in a row…Or can I? I do what I want. TRY AND STOP ME!!!
Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall…all you have to do is Ride
Ok, so Ride doesn’t rhyme with Fall…It’s called Creative License…or for me, being lazy. Oh well.
Speaking of Lazy…today is a Photo Journal Day…So very few words from me. (do I hear clapping? through the computer screen? well, that is fairly insulting. and kinda impossible.)
I have now “owned” the loaner Enertia for 8 1/2 months and have covered 4 seasons** and 4000 miles. Not bad for a short range commuter bike.
(**Ok, we are just a couple of days into Summer, but when I’m riding in 100 plus degree temps, well Summer is covered as far as I’m concerned.)
So I’m going to show a few “Season” related photos I’ve taken. And a bonus shot or two at the end.
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WINTER IS COMING…actually winter has past, but is also coming…gah, paradox….
The coldest I drove the Enertia was 9 degrees. I did ride in some snow, but no ice storms this years. Truthfully this past Winter was fairly light in the snow department. I would have loved a bit more.
more mud than snow…as I said, a pretty mild and warm Winter.
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SPRINGTIME FOR ENERTIA IN BUR-ER-QUE…ok, nobody calls Albuquerque, Bur-er-que. But I was trying to make it fit the Springtime for Hitler and Germany song phrasing…
With only one photo, I obviously need to take more pictures in Spring. But really Spring is my least favorite season in New Mexico…Cold and Windy and usually very dry. And by Windy I mean “Wind and more Wind and finally even more Wind till you think you will surely go crazy”…and don’t call me Shirley.
But I did get this nice shot:
The location wasn’t ideal, but I quickly stopped to get this photo in the back of a 7-11 parking lot (where I promptly had some dude asking for change who was wearing nicer clothes and shoes than me…really?) and then I drove up the road trying to get a “better” shot with a prettier surrounding. It was a Zen Study as I could never find the right spot to stop until the rainbow started to fade. I quickly pulled over, parked the bike and got the iPhone out to take a photo and, at that very second, the rainbow faded like the Cheshire Cat…
Have you ever witness a person standing on the side of the road in full Motorcycle gear who is yelling and cursing at a non-existent rainbow? It is not a pretty sight.
The moral: I don’t know. Take the first shot? Enjoy the rainbow while you can? Don’t go chasing waterfalls…I mean rainbows?
Still the shot is nice, even with the dirt lot and garish Planet Fitness billboard.
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SUMMERTIME….AND THE RIDIN’ IS EASY…Gavin’s on the Enertia with Ras M.G, all people in the street will agree, that we’re well qualified to represent the A.B.Q.
ok, Sublime didn’t quite fit there…
We are barely into Summer, so again, like Spring, only one Photo. Future photos will include: Durango, Colorado…crazy beautiful. Laguna Seca: Race photos, random photos, Monterey Photos…maybe “special secret” photos.
But here is one of a dog on the Enertia. Go Maya. Nothing cuter than a dog on a motorcycle with her tongue hanging out. No comments about that last sentence please.
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FALL…I have no idea how to use Fall in a title…Fall is just lovely in New Mexico…but then I think Fall is lovely just about anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. After the Summer heat and sun has pounded the ground, the buildings, and the people, well Fall gently surrenders that hot, that pain back to the sky. It takes that “burning” and says, “Here, let me ease your burden, let me channel all that fire inside and I will touch each and every leaf of each and every tree** and with every leaf that goes from green to gold to brown and then curls and falls dry and dead to the ground, you will feel the Earth, and yourself, become cool and quiet and calm.” Or maybe nothing like that at all…what do I know.
(**except Evergreens…the spoiled children of the tree world. “Give up my leaves, my needles? Heaven’s no.” Brats.)
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Bonus Photos: We had a nice little Annular Solar Eclipse here and Albuquerque was just about the best place in the World to view it. So we had a Solar Eclipse get together-party…Funny Glasses, paper plates with pinholes, Eclipse Boxes and Binoculars set up to magnify the Eclipse…tons of fun. Sadly Eclipses are hard to photograph without special equipment. But we got some shots….
Paper Plate pinhole shot of the Eclipse “shining” onto the Enertia.
And did you know that you can use your “HAND” as a pinhole camera?? I didn’t till that day.
Solar light coming through a very small opening in my hand…Look like the profile of a Ninja Turtle to me.
Finally, a bit of a cheat here…Binocular image of Eclipse on the Enertia.
The Black and White is to make it “Classy”.
But enough….
Holy Crap…I think I wrote more on this so called “Photo Journal” than in my standard Blog posts…I might need an intervention…
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
Today we talk about: Holy Moley is it CHEAP to fill up an Electric Motorcycle.
Now I know everybody has seen this image before…it is all over the interwebs.
or this one:
We get a chuckle, a bit of a laugh. Until we are the one driving up to the pump and realize that it is too close to the truth. “Hmmmm, buy needed medication or fill the gas tank?” should never be a thought running through anybody’s head.
Almost everyday I drive by an ironically named gas station: Pump and Save. Hahahahahahahaaaaaa, excuse me, hahahahahahaha. How about some truth in advertizing…Pump and make OPEC happy. Pump and there goes your vacation budget. Pump and kiss your retirement goodbye. Just about anything works, except: Pump and Save.
Even the most economical gas cars are really quite expensive to fill up and drive on a daily basis. Example: Toyota Prius. Good car (a bit fugly) and an industry leading 50 mpg. Good going Toyota! A Prius owner can go 100 miles for 2 gallons of gas…at 3.50 a gallon that is 5 million dollars….oops, sorry, my math ain’t so hot (neither is me English)….so 7 bucks for 100 miles in a very functional and well built, though slightly fugly, Prius. Not bad! But not great considering it is the best the automobile industry has to offer.
Now look at the Enertia, which I have been lucky enough to ride for the last 8-9 months:
Yes, look at her sitting there in front of the Mountain Lodge off old Rt 66. I love this photo as it make me think of riding the Enertia through the world of Fallout 3, but that is a subject for another blog on another day…
The cost to “fill” the Enertia’s “tank” is just about 1 cent a mile to charge up from any 110v wall outlet here in New Mexico. 1 cent a mile = 100 cents for 100 miles…which is like zero dollars to fill up…again, not so good at math.
Actually we are talking (or typing and reading) a hundred miles for a buck. So the Enertia is 7 times cheaper than the best mileage gas car on the road. (and looks hella better and WAY MORE FUN to drive. And that is all proven by SCIENCE.)
And it is because electricity is so much cheaper than gas (and can be renewable and clean—Wind, solar, hydro, tidal, geothermal—Mother Nature is very giving. It’s like moving back in with your parents and sponging off them, but way cooler and no living in the basement with your Cheetos covered “Night Ranger ROCKS” T-Shirt.)
And it works for Electric Cars too. 100 miles in a Nissan LEAF is half the price or less than the Prius. And if you are fortunate enough, or had the foresight and have paid-off solar panels on your roof, well all miles could be essentially free and clean, thanks to Mr. Sun. I love you Mr. Sun…
So when you drive to work, or to the store, or when you’re out shopping to prepare for the coming Zombie Apocalypse, remember the two gas signs above…and know that they could look like this:
Plug and Save…now that is a “fuel” station I would love to see stretching from Sea to Shining Sea. 🙂
With some very “not subtle” prodding (looking your way BrammoFan), I am reopening my blog and focusing it down to Brammo Motorcycles and the trips and experiences I am having just about every day of the year as I ride this Electric Motorcycle. Real world observations. Real world photos. This will be mostly a Photo Journal, peppered with some brilliant insights….or probably just insights that fall somewhat below brilliant…ok, very far below…jeez, you think I would get some respect from my own blog…but noooo, the dang critics in my head keep pestering me to be honest.
I am not a prolific blogger, but I will work hard to get a couple of new posts every week.
So…..without further ado:
Blog 1, 6/25/12. Today we talk about:
I have always counted on the Kindness of Strangers…or “business that allow me to charge.”
When I first received the “Loaner” Enertia from Brammo I assumed I would always just charge it overnight at home. I even set up a charge station with a nice little sign I bought from BrammoFan.
And I did charge mostly at home…still do. It is easy and you wake up every morning to a fully charged bike.
But one trip I was planning to ride looked to be impossible without outside charging (the loaner bike is Brammo’s first model and is really quite nice, but does have a 40 mile range. Great for commuting, not so much for long distance drives.)
Well the Rio Rancho Annual Toy Run was coming up and I really wanted to take the Enertia. Thousands of riders, a good cause and I thought it would be great to show off the Electric a bit. But the ride started 20 miles from my house, add in 10-15 miles on the ride, and then 20 miles back home—much of it at 55 mph which drains the battery faster than slow city commuting—and it is easy to see that 40 miles or less wasn’t going to make it.
So bail on the ride? No Way! First, I called the Toy Run staff. Sadly they did not have any electric power at the start of the race nor at the ending spot. They did let me know that the start was in the parking lot of the local High School and I could call them. So I called Rio Rancho High School. A very nice gentleman who runs the school’s activities told me it would be no problem at all to charge at the school. He informed me that there were outside outlets on the Gym and to “have at it”. Yea! Thanks Rio Rancho High School. You were the first place I charged away from home (and you are Walter White’s school in Breaking Bad–but that is another blog for another day).
So I left home early—the ride started at 11:00 am—as I needed extra time to charge at the school. One day that won’t be an issue, but right now I do have to make extra time and effort if I want to go electric and still do the longer rides I enjoy. The trade off, to me, is worth it 🙂
I depart at 8:30 am and get to the school at 9. Easily find the plug, plug up and….wait. I read a bit, I walk over and talk to some of the early bird gas bikers—the ride seems to bring every Harley rider in the State of New Mexico. At 11:00 the bike is about 95% charged and I am ready to join up with the gas bikes and my scooter friends.
So we do a ride of 15 miles and my scooter friends want to stop and get something to eat…I’m like, sure I can eat…and I start following them to a new place they want to try. Unfortunately for me they are riding away from Albuquerque and my home…which is where I like to charge. And when we get to the restaurant, well I am pretty sure I won’t be able to get all the way home. So I ask the staff…”Hey, I have this electric motorcycle, do you mind if I charge while my friends and I get some food and drinks?” “Sure, let me go get an extension cord.” That was a surprise…they even went out of their way to help me. But he comes back, “Hey, I can’t find our extension cord…but you can park the bike inside our storage area and charge there”.
So I rolled my bike up and into the back of the restaurant…Crazy. But hella nice.
Which brings me to the point, finally, of this Blog. I have yet to be turned down when I have asked a business if I can charge my bike while I shop, buy or eat at their establishments. It is really amazing. I usually have my argument ready, “it only costs about 10 cents an hour in electricity to charge**, and I will be spending much more than that while I am here…and I tip well.” But I don’t ever have to do that. A simple, “Hi, my bike is electric. I see you have an outside plug, do you mind if I use it?” “Sure, no problem. That’s a cool bike”, is the usual response. Often followed with many more question.
So I thought I would give a quick shout out and thanks to some of the places I’ve charged.
As mentioned: Rio Rancho High School…the school in Breaking Bad AND you guys have your own solar array…you guys ROCK.
Turtle Mountain Brewing Co.: I am upset with myself as I wanted to get a photo of the bike charging in your storage area…but forgot! Instead, here is a photo of their menu. You helped me to ride over 70 miles that day…the most I’ve ridden the Enertia in one day.
Subway: The Subway in Tijeras, NM has let me charge at least 3 times. One of my favorite rides goes out that way, but it is just a bit too far to go without some extra charge. So I stop, grab a sandwich and surf the web a bit and off I go with a nicely charged bike and a fairly full belly. Thanks Jarred…or Michael Phelps…or whoever Subway is using as their spokesman.
I am downtown most Tuesday Nights to play the Pub Quiz, Geeks who Drink, at the Blackbird Buvette. Plus I’m friends with one of the owners…and the Blackbird is a cool place to hang just about any time. As a bonus they have a lamp post out front that I can charge at. And if that isn’t working, they let me charge on their back patio…Thanks!
While Downtown, Albuquerque does have two pay charge stations…Good to have, though I haven’t needed to use them yet. Too much free charging available so far to start using my credit card to charge…but maybe one day.
I’ve charged at Walmart, Smith’s Grocery, Lowe’s Home Improvements…just to name a few. Anytime I am stopping for 30 minutes or more, I go ahead and charge. Every 30 minutes gives me 5 more miles in range.
And last, but not least, my work. This is the one place, other than home, where I have charged the most.
Covered parking AND free juice? What’s not to love about that.
And that is the wonderful part about electrics. There is a source for charging EVERYWHERE. And it is cheap and easy to use. Go to your favorite restaurant and ask them if you can fill your car’s gas tank while you eat. They will look at you like you are crazy. Because storing and delivering gas is hard, expensive and kinda dangerous. Storing and delivering electricity is not. Heck, by code every house and business have outlets every few freaking feet. I can attest to that as we have a one year old granddaughter and about 12 billion outlet covers in our home.
Still there is the slowness of filling my tank (which is why I do it at home, work or restaurants where I know I will be a while) and the shortness of range. Those two obstacles will be overcome with time, and, in fact, are already improving. My loaner gets 40 miles, but the Brammo Plus coming out this summer gets twice that. The Brammo Empulse will get 100 miles and has fast charging, which will fill those batteries at twice the rate of 120v wall charging. A few more years and the battery will last longer than what my butt will allow me to ride. And then we will have all the conveniences of electric drive: quiet, smooth, quick, easy, nearly zero maintenance and fuel that is cheap and everywhere; without the downside of range issues and slowness of charging. And we will have a fuel that can truly be zero emissions…when you have nice solar panels on your roof and 310 sunny days a year 🙂
Till next time….
Gavin
**This might be my next blog…the insanely low cost of charging. Or Park Anywhere! Or “Want people to be nice to you? interact and talk to you? Buy an Electric motorcycle.”
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