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:Â www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness:Â visit, lurk and maybe join:Â 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:Â 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:Â www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness:Â visit, lurk and maybe join:Â 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:Â www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness:Â visit, lurk and maybe join:Â 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:Â www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness:Â visit, lurk and maybe join:Â 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:Â www.brammo.com For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness:Â visit, lurk and maybe join:Â www.brammoforum.com
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