Zen and the art of running out of gas

Went out for a nice ride on a beautiful spring evening.  The bike was low on gas but I was still in the red, so I pushed on.

Couldn't have asked for a nicer night.  Bikes were out everywhere, me along with them.  I looped out east and then passed south of home and followed the river west.

  

In the setting sun I came across the Black Power Bison Farm.  The big furry creatures were grazing in the golden light... very idyllic.

From there I continued west downstream and turned onto highway 86, wondering when the gas light would come on to give me the immanent fill up warning.  Instead of the light coming on the Tiger hesitated as I accelerated up to speed on the highway, and then stalled.  I rolled to a stop on the side of the road and it wouldn't restart.  I gave the bike a shake and it started, so I looped around and started heading back toward the river and the road home, when it stalled again.  I kept it rolling and pulled back on to the side road I'd just ridden up.

As I ran out of momentum I could see the Kissing Bridge Trailway parking lot.  It was only a short push up a slight hill into the lot.  The sun was casting its last rays across a beautiful evening.  I got out the phone and called home - fortunately my son picked up and mobilized the cavalry.

I pushed the Tiger out to the front of the empty lot so my rescuers could see it and spent my time in the dying light reading about the Trailway and taking photos.  There is a video where a guy is riding his old Triumph and it won't restart after he stops for a pee.  He rages at the machine, but eventually ends up soaking up the nature around him.  With a Zen like calm, he eventually kicks the old bike over and it starts - it wouldn't while he was angry.  I wish I could find that video and share it again here.  No point in being angry, best to be where I am doing what I'm able to do.

Soon enough my lovely wife and son showed up with the gas can.  I put a litre into the tank and the Tiger immediately fired up.  They followed me the ten minute ride back to Elora and we topped up the bike and refilled the gas can.

Now to figure out why the low gas warning light isn't working on the Tiger.

Perth County Moto

Last weekend I was in Stratford to see Mother's Daughters - a modern feminist take on Mary and Elizabeth's battle to become queen after their father (Henry VIII) kicked the bucket way back in 1550s England - it was brilliant!

Before the play we were about town having dinner when I stumbled upon Perth County Moto.  Jeff O'Neill, the co-owner, was in there and we had a nice chat about vintage German police leathers and my Triumph Tiger.

Looking over PCM's website, Jeff and his wife Lindsay seem to be focused on a side of motorcycling that you don't often see:  vintage and DIY.  Everything motorcycle related near me is pretty much a box store or dealer (which is like a box store but with higher prices).  Looking into PCM's approach makes me wish I lived closer to Stratford.  The Englander in me finds himself a stranger in a strange land when it comes to DIY; it's not generally a North American mindset.

There is a younger side to motorcycling culture that embraces DIY and gets excited about customizing older machines.  Some turn their noses up at this new approach and call it hipster, but I dig it.  Perth County Moto seems to be all in on the custom DIY scene.  They even have a custom build going on on their blog and look like they support spannering nights.

PCM has a variety of Biltwell new gear, Bell Helmets and some other less common manufacturers for sale.  I tried on Biltwell gloves but wasn't thrilled with the feel, but they're a pretty budget item and I'm getting pickier with gloves (Speed & Strength aren't cheap, but that's the new standard).  I wish I'd had more time to look around, but I was on a dinner and show schedule.

One thing that did stand out was the used leathers on a rack at the back.  The green German Police leathers immediately jumped out at me, but alas, they were designed for a very small German police officer.

If you're looking for out of the ordinary gear, Perth County Moto is worth a stop.  In my brief time in there I managed to find a nice Triumph patch (they have a big selection of classic badges along with a pile of sticker options).  I'm sure I'd have bought something else had I the time.  Fortunately, we're back in Stratford for shows several more times this summer.

How best to get out to Perth County Moto?  Well, load up for a lovely ride through Southern Ontario countryside, get into Stratford early and have a look around PCM, then go out for dinner at one of the many nice pubs or eateries within walking distance.  Once you park up downtown, it's all easily walkable.  I'd also suggest having a look at the Black Swan Brewery (they make a wonderful English Pale Ale) before you catch a show and then ride back home under the Milky Way while working in some funky new gear.  Perth County Moto gives any motorcyclist a reason to ride out to Stratford this summer.

Lobo Loco Water Is Life Summer Rally

We just spent a delightful dam day riding north and west from where we live looking for water themed locations for this year's Lobo Loco all-season Water is Life rally.

If you find that your riding is a bit aimless, or you're always showing up at the same places over and over, a long distance rally is a great way to break those habitual rides.  You get a theme and some specific targets, but you also get some special monthly targets in this rally.  It runs from May to October, so you have lots of time to get points.  You can set up rides with intention and ride as hard as you like.  Some people go and go if they're all about the points (and have a lot of free time).  I'm more about the exploration and photography opportunities, even more so If I've got a pillion along, but you can do it however you like.  My son and I have done this a few times now, and my buddy Jeff and I have had some epic rides, but this time it was all about my wife and I getting points and spending some quality time together.

For May the water specific theme was dams, so we went looking for the damned things in our area.  It's amazing what you can find when you ride with a purpose.  Only fifteen minutes from home we were stumbling across secret Mennonite fishing holes at the Woolwich Dam, and twenty minutes later chatting with dreadlocked sports bike riders on the Conestogo Dam causeway.  We bumped into a number of riders on the trip and always suggest they look up the rally as a way of extending their riding destinations.

Further north we stopped just past Harriston (after getting a photo of their water tower), and got lunch at The Red Caboose.  If you've never had an Ontario chip truck lunch, this would be a great place to start.  Everything is grown in the fields around you (including the beef).  It's what you'd expect to pay for a burger and fries, but this'll be the first time you've ever had something this fresh.  Some fancy burger joint in Toronto will but sriracha on it and charge you five times as much for something that tastes half as good.  The fries actually taste like potatoes.  We would never have stopped there had we not launched ourselves on this exploratory rally adventure.

With our stomachs full of goodness, we continued north.  After a water tower hit-and-run in Clifford we eventually found ourselves in the place where government cuts made the water kill people: Walkerton, Ontario.  We got to the Walkerton Heritage Water Garden only to discover it wasn't running - a local walking by told us they weren't turning it on due to new cut backs.  Thousands got ill and e Coli in the water killed seven, and now a similar government has cancelled the memorial to what their predecessors did - I imagine they're thinking this is best not remembered.  The irony runs thick, unlike the water in the monument.  The local said the politicians all spent more time making sure they weren't liable than they did actually trying to solve the problem.  Walkerton is now a vibrant community that has bounced back from this tragedy, but the damage runs deep, and more cuts are coming.

We left the park in a sombre mood and headed through the lovely town before striking out east on Highway 4.  Another water tower hit and run in Hanover and we were on our way to Durham and the ride south to home.

I'm sure I've passed through Durham before, but have no memory of it.  It's a pretty little town in rolling Niagara Escarpment country.  Alanna eagle-eyed the Garafraxa Cafe on the main street and we pulled in for a caffeine boost to get us home strong.  Things looked promising with an Italian coffee machine that looked like a Vespa scooter and a proprietor who knew what he was doing with it.  It ended up being one of the best Americanos I've ever had.

We pushed south to Holstein Dam while picking up water towers in MoFo and Arthur.  Our last stop was the Shand Dam that created Belwood Lake just down the road from our home in Elora.  To maximize points you want to get your bike in the photo and have signage and the dam itself in one of the two photos.  I find the Ricoh Theta 360 camera handy for doing this because it grabs everything at once, but many others just use their smart phone camera and get a lot more points than I do.  Naming conventions on your photos are important too - you lose points handing things in the wrong way.  Having Alanna along really helps with this as she actually reads the instructions.

By this point we'd been on the road for well over six hours and were ready to go put our feet up, fortunately our circuitous route took us in a big loop back home:

https://goo.gl/maps/4SQrADMcDpTKAQvf6

All told we think we cracked a thousand points on this ride, and discovered all sorts of strange little spots we'd have otherwise missed.  The Water is life Grand Tour full summer rally is running from May to October, so you've still got tons of time to sign up and give it a go.  If it grabs you, Lobo Loco is also running more intensive weekend and one day rallies throughout the season.

***

Lobo Loco Rallies on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LoboLocoRallies/
Like the page and see what's going on - there is a vibrant community of riders involved with this.
 
Lobo Loco Homepage:   https://wolfe35.wixsite.com/lobolocorallies
Includes the intensive weekend events as well as this season's grand tour.  You can sign up on there through RideMaster - the same group that handles Iron Butt Rallies (if you want to get really serious).


NOTES:

Some dammed stops on this year's Grand Tour Rally:

Stop One:  Woolwich Dam & Reservoir 
https://theta360.com/s/o3txOAqc332jOD4u4RDytX4Hg
43°37'21.3"N 80°33'51.9"W

Getting signage with the name on it counts for points!

We went a bit overboard with this one.  It was our first stop, it was a lovely dam surrounded by Mennonites fishing and we wanted to make sure we got the required things in the photos (and they are many!)...

You will need to have the following in order to collect points:
A) A photo of the dam itself
B) A photo of signage indicating the name of the dam, or a photo indicating the name of the town the dam is in

- We will accept a “Welcome To”, City Limits, or Town Hall sign.
C) The GPS coordinates, approximate street address, or nearest cross street to the dam
Your motorcycle MUST be in at least one of the 2 photos.

You will receive the highest points ONLY for whichever you achieve for each individual dam:
99 points - motorcycle with the dam (which I think we got with the bottom one with me standing with the bike in front of the gate)
66 points - motorcycle with the dam signage

33 points - motorcycle with the town signage

... but I think I like the one with us leaning over the dam more.  Sometimes the photographer gets in the way of the rally requirements.

#loboloco Water is Life Rally 2019 Summer Woolwich Dam #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

We found a squirter at the Woolwich dam!

Stop 3:  Conestogo Dam
43°40'32.4"N 80°42'56.0"W

#loboloco Water is Life Rally 2019 Conestogo Dam #motorcycle #rally #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Gotta get that signage in for maximum points.
Stop 8:  Holstein Dam
44°03'36.0"N 80°45'29.4"W

 ... that was a buggy one.  Dam in photo, check, rally flag, check, bike in photo, check!

A Nice Way to Turn 50...

Thanks to the Ontario Government ignoring the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and illegally forcing a contract on us, I had my 50th birthday off.  I had an entire year of saved up sick days stripped away, but hey, I got a day off for it.  So much for Charter rights.

I figured the Forks of the Credit would be silly over the long weekend, so I thought I'd head over there on the Friday afternoon.  Still lots of people about, but I got to have a couple of clean runs up and down the twisty bits where I wasn't on the bumper of a duffer in a cage.  I'm not leaving rubber doing this, and I'm usually within 10km/hr of the limit, but cars through this twisty, technical road are a bit of a disaster.  It was nice to get a couple of runs without worrying about the processing capacity of the driver in front of me.

Photos are taken with a Ricoh Theta V on a custom built mount attached to the wing mirror.  Screen captured in the Ricoh software and modified in Adobe Lightroom:

The switchbacks at The Forks...

The little guy on the side of the road said, 'woah!!!" so loud I could here him on the bike.  :)

Always look where you want to go - sometimes that's over your shoulder!

In the moment on one of the frew curves between me at the Niagara Escarpment.  If I lived in California I would be a regular canyon carver on the weekends.

Beautiful weather, minimal traffic and a frisky Tiger.  It was a good 50th birthday ride.