Monday, October 20, 2014

Words Barely Describe

Ben and I took the bikes out yesterday to get our "paved" ride in and oh, my, what a day!  A bit cool to start, finally near 70 degrees at the apex of the afternoon.  It just can't get any better.  All photos are as the camera(s) captured the world.

Eagle Valley Road.....


 Pretzel Pass.......


Pretzel Pass a little further around.....






Independence Road.....










I had my helmet cam on yesterday, set this time to take shots every 5 seconds.   Included here for my friends that know these roads, sometimes better than I do. :)

Castlerock Museum seen on the right in downtown Alma, just up the street from our breakfast spot at Pier4.


 County N approaching Rose Valley Road......


Once again, the familiar Coop's Corner shot, this time a wider angle.




 County Road G......just past the little church.


 Many of the helmet cam photos taken yesterday show the Hyosung speedometer reading 40-45mph... I was on the Honda here (Hwy 95) and I'm very glad the speedometer isn't seen at the bottom of the shot.  The Honda was given its rein.




We stopped on Alligator Slide to swap bikes again.  There was a certain amount of discussion about the virtues of a lightweight 600cc sportbike.  My oh my does it want to go!



Pretzel Pass photo of the photo process....


Wolfe Road.....


 County Road Q....has been and will remain a top favorite....




We were doing so well.  

I stopped to ask Ben if he was up for a bit of gravel as we were leaving Gilmanton; neither one of us wanted to quit.  Up Gilman Valley Road to the 4 corners where Gilman meets Moy, the plan to take the adventurous Carl Valley back down to County double V.  I pulled over to change out my helmet cam battery.




 I turned back to see Ben coasting to a stop and looking down at his rear wheel.


Wet and a bit of smoke....



The short story is that we pulled the lower fairing panel off and discovered that the spin-on oil filter was leaking from its base o-ring.  We loosened, tightened but it was no use, anything over an idle made the oil flow where it wasn't supposed to.  I took off at a mostly brisk pace towards home so that I could come back with the van and trailer. 

Dave and Eric know this corner well....it's a VERY quiet place......quiet as in not much traffic...though Ben did tell me that a couple of GS BMW's waved as they went past.  It took me 2 1/2 hours to get home and back and told Peg when I came home without Ben that I hoped the bears wouldn't get him.  By the time we were back home it was almost dark.  Last night Ben pulled things apart and discovered a hairline radial split in the gasket.  Today Ben put a new filter on, cleaned up the oil mess and we're back in business.

It was a very, very good day.









12 comments:

  1. Nice pictures, are most from the helmet cam?

    And aren't you glad you have that handy trailer? You seem to get a lot of use out of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard, the ones before "Castlerock Museum" were with the Lumix, everything after were picked from the hundreds seen by the Contour.

      You are right, the trailer is becoming a well used tool.

      Delete
  2. Looked like a spectacular day despite the mechanical problems. Every day needs a little excitement to make it memorable right? Sounds like you got the bikes home safely with lots of photos too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was truly a good day, Ben had adequate time for some soul searching, we had together time in the car on the drive home with a chance to discuss what made it all worthwhile.

      Any one of these day-long rides could very well be the last of the season even though we're hoping for a good month yet of reasonable riding weather.

      Enjoy yours!

      Delete
  3. Thanks for posting this so I can share vicariously in what looked like a great day of riding (mechanical problems notwithstanding). Sadly I think my "last ride" has now passed. It's cold, wet, and windy here now so unless some spectacular weather comes in, I'm done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Canajun, sorry to hear that your season ended early. Seems every year that mine get shorter and shorter. We are having your spectacular weather....watch for updates and more vicarious. :)

      Delete
  4. Glad the bears were otherwise busy.

    A grizzly hunted a couple in their house this week and fatally mauled the wife when they fled the house.

    I suppose if a bear did show up he would have high tailed it out, crippled bike be damned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David, it's odd (and a bit scary) that we both have bears on our minds. Just last week someone sent me a story about supposedly was only the 16th person in recorded history that killed a bear with his bare hands.

      We were at the peak of a very steep hill....the Honda would have played at being an electric version had he needed an escape.

      Delete
  5. Sounds like an awesome day even with the bike issues.

    Great temperatures and beautiful scenery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brandy, it was a keeper, that's for sure. Meant a lot to us both.

      Delete
  6. Nice view from the handlebar, Coop. Glad the bike issue could be fixed (One gotta love a handy man...)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorting through almost 1000 images was not all that tough of task. It truly is a replay of the ride and amazing to me how easy it is after the ride to know specifically where we were.

      We are now handy men(s) :)

      Delete