| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Australia Day Yesterday was Australia Day. Both Melia and I thought there would be some activities worth going to, but we found out otherwise. Fireworks aren’t popular here; I don’t know why. Where even small towns have fireworks on the Fourth in the US, nobody does them here for Australia day. When I was here for Australia Day in 1994, Ron & Melia were living at Ocean Shores and the local had a Breakfast, and a Sing Along, and we went to a couple of parties during the day. Everybody was celebrating and having a good time. Yesterday, we went to Gatton, Forest Hill and Laidley, but we found nothing. Most of the shops in town were closed, including my favorite coffee shop, but the supermarkets and fast food restaurants were open. So I had a McDonald’s Aussie Brekky Burger (or whatever it’s called) and a cup of their Flat White coffee for breakfast. The burger was actually pretty good. It was two sausage patties, Australian bacon (similar to Canadian or Irish bacon) a fried egg and cheese with BBQ sauce on a hamburger bun. (it’s supposed to come with mayo, too, but I told them no mayo). The coffee was OK, as well. It wasn’t as good as the coffee at the Club 33, but it wasn’t bad. Like McD’s coffee back home is OK. It’s not as good as Dunkies, but it’s not bad. (I like Dunkin Donuts coffee a lot). After breakfast and driving around for a couple of hours to not find anything, we returned home and spent the afternoon watching the Idiot box. Guardians of the Galaxy was on one of the movie channels. I also watched a World Superbike replay from 2000. The final race of the season and an epic battle between Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards. The points were so close between the two, that whoever won race would be champion. I remember watching that race back in 2000, and how good it was, so I watched it again. They really beat on each other throughout the entire race and swapped the lead numerous times, with Edwards just edging out Bayliss for the win. Aerostich has a Zero electric motorcycle and the staff are using it to commute on during the winter. Every couple of days, they send me the latest entries to the blog. I’m enjoying reading the assorted staff members entries and what it’s like to ride in Duluth in the dead of winter. I’ve ridden through a few winters, but not in quite so extreme conditions. I consider myself to be pretty Hardcore, but I don’t know if I could ride all winter in Duluth. Especially as I become a crankier old fart who hasn’t got quite the capacity to enjoy the cold like I used to. What’s nice is that they describe what gear they’re using to stay warm, and what problems they’re encountering and how they’re dealing with them. Ron should be coming home next week. I hope so.I’d like to see him before I head back to the States. I’m not sure just yet when I’ll be heading back, but I really think it’ll be before I had originally planned which was in early May. | ||
| Crusty |
It Doesn’t Take Much Yesterday, I had a Migraine. It wasn’t a bad one, but even a mild Migraine puts the skids on most plans. I’m fortunate that I don’t get Migraines like I used to when I was young. When I was younger, the pain was crippling. I would spend 8 hours or so in a dark room, and I would be vomiting repeatedly. I remember one, in particular where I didn’t even recognize my wife. The pain was so bad, I was delirious. When I entered the Workforce, I lost several jobs because of my Migraines. People don’t understand just how bad the pain is, unless they’ve experienced one themselves. Plus, employers need workers who can be relied on to be there. A Migraine was a quick road to a Layoff. Back in the mid 80s, I told my boss I was getting a migraine, but I would continue to work until I started throwing up. He thought I was just joking until he saw me move off to the side of the site and the nausea started. He wound up giving me a ride home that afternoon, and he was amazed at how I could be happy and working along with the rest of the crew, then 15 minutes later be so sick I couldn’t function. Over the years, I saw several doctors about my Migraines and I tried numerous drugs to help, but nothing I’ve ever tried stopped the headache. I went to the Headache Center at the Faulkner Hospital back in the early 90s. I had all sorts of tests performed and I tried everything from charting times and frequency to modifying my diet and even a course in Relaxation Therapy. I’m one of the few that nothing stops my Migraines. Over the past 20 years or so, my migraines have gotten much milder. I seldom get as nauseous as I used to, and the pain is a lot lighter. When I get one now, it’s only as bad as a splitting headache. It’s bad enough to make me stop doing things voluntarily, but I can function, if I have to. That’s the kind of headache I had yesterday. The day was going well. I had plans to do a few things and was about to set out on a bunch of errands when the visuals started. So, I didn’t get my haircut or go buy coffee or shop. Instead, I hit the recliner and became a vegetable for the day. This morning, my head feels like a pumpkin two weeks after Halloween. I’ll feel like crap for the morning, but hopefully, I’ll be fine by noon. I just need to not make decisions right now. A Migraine Hangover gives me a crappy attitude and I tend to see the negative side of things. I just got another e-mail from Air New Zealand informing me of another schedule change. Between their schedule change and United Airline’s change, I’ll be arriving in Boston at something like 1:34 AM, when I return. That’s just freakin’ great. It’s too late at night to ask anybody to come pick me up at the airport, and I can’t even take a bus, subway or train until 5:30 AM, so I’ll have to sit in the terminal and try to sleep in one of those comfortable chairs for a few hours until the busses start running. Oh, joy. Oh, Rapture. I’d better wait until tomorrow to call them. With my attitude the way it is, I can only get in trouble. | ||
| Damnut |
I got my first migraine in my life about 2 months ago on a Saturday morning. It was so bad I kept throwing up from the pain. Got my second one about 2 weeks ago. It woke me up from a dead sleep at 3:00 am. Needless to say I didn't go to work that day. Migraines suck and I never understood how bad they suck until my first one. If you need a ride home from the airport just say the word. I don't care what time the flight gets in, just day the word. | ||
| Crusty |
Attitude Changes I’ve got a real crappy attitude this morning. I’ve had one since I had that Migraine the other day. There’s no obvious reason for it; at least none that I can see. Maybe I’ve just burned out on being here, and I’m trying to push myself into leaving. The more I think about it, the more that makes sense to me. I haven’t ridden a motorcycle in over 2 1/2 months That’s the longest break since my ankle got crushed back in ’97. I’m one of those nut cases who has to ride, or I start developing an attitude. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get so old I can’t ride any more. I guess I’ll just be a grouchy old buzzard. So am I burned out on being here, or am I just miserable because I’m not riding? Does it really matter? The solution is to head back to Fitchburg and get the Sportster out of Storage. One of my “Favorite” locations on Intellicast is Hudson, MA. I check the weather there every few days. To be honest, I want to gloat to myself about how I’ve escaped Winter. However, it looks like Winter took a vacation. I just looked again, and high temps are supposed to be in the 40s and 50s (F) for the next ten days. It seems like that’s been the case most of this winter. It figures that the year I choose to escape Winter is the year it’s really mild. Of course, if I come back soon, the temps will take a dive and the area will get a record snowfall. That will serve to extend my stretch of non-riding, so it has a high probability of happening. In any event, I’m itchy to travel and I want to Ride. I guess I’ll call Air New Zealand this morning and find out how bad they want to screw me for changing my departure date. It’s time to head back. | ||
| Crusty |
I just got a reply to my latest Snippet from one of the forums I post on. It read, You are nuckin futs, to leave at this time of year, to New England. I suggest opening a window, smell the breeze and slam it down on your dick. Let at least one brain, dictate how well you have it now. Bloody feckin Christ, really? So here's my reply to him, I am nuts. That's a given. However, I've always marched to the beat of a different drummer. My sanity, or lack of is not the issue. I'd rather ride in cold weather than not ride in Paradise. I just got an e-mail from an old friend back in Taxachusetts that informed me that had I stayed, there were only three days so far this winter when the roads were too sloppy to ride. I haven't been on a motorcycle since November 15. And even if the weather is too bad to ride, I can at least be setting up the Roadster for the upcoming summer. I don't enjoy riding in the winter as much as in the warmer weather, but I have the gear to do it. I have a Gerbings heated jacket liner, neck wrap (Wind Triangle) and Aerostich Darien jacket and pants. I wear waterproof snowmobile gauntlets, so my hands stay reasonably warm. And I keep my speeds down so that I have more time to react to road hazards. I have ridden through more winters than I can recall, and I've been without a car or pickup for something like a dozen years during my riding career. So; you're right. I have to be Nucking Futs. But I've never let that stop me from living my life the way I want to. I just thought I'd share that with you all. | ||
| Greg_e |
This is roughly the same pattern as last year, don't think winter is gone. Last year February was brutal, March was not so kind either. So base your decision on how quickly you can get south, and how long you can stay there. Florida is probably pretty safe right now, maybe go ride in the Keys? Wonder if you could get a visa to Cuba and ride down there, take a good camera if you go. The only thing working in your favor is the fact that my Harley is still torn apart, the weather likes to make me feel bad. But then I look at all the salt on my car and remember why I'm not going to take my Buell out. | ||
| Crusty |
Repent! The End is Near! Yesterday, I scratched the itch. I called Air New Zealand and moved my flight to next Tuesday, Feb. 9. I’m heading back to New England in the dead of winter. I’m doing this with full knowledge of just how much winter sucks, and how much I hate it. But I haven’t been on a bike in two and a half months, and it’s driving me crazy. If I had a bike here, I probably wouldn’t be so itchy, but I don’t. The thing that added to my itch to leave is that my visa is running out. Now, I could just go to someplace else for a day or two, then return, but it would cost me a big chunk of money. It’s much more affordable to head back home. Did you ever see that Twilight Zone episode where a space ship lands on a hot desert asteroid that’s a solitary confinement prison for some poor guy, and the Captain leaves him a robot for companionship? I feel like that prisoner. Australia is a wonderful place. There are all kinds of really neat wildlife, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are friendly; but, without a motorcycle, I feel trapped. I’m beginning to think that I may never be able to settle in one place for very long and be comfortable again. Releasing my Inner Tramp might be like opening Pandora’s Box. I’ve been wrestling with this decision for a while. I’ve decided that it’s time to go back. I can feel it in my gut. Back in 1991, I was working as a mechanic in an automotive garage. I needed the job, but I knew it was time to leave. I kept on going to work for months after I realized that fact, until one day, I quit in a rage. I had let the pressure build until it owned me. I’m starting to feel that same pressure. It’s time to go. I know it is, and to not go is to invite consequences that I will regret. I’ve had a couple of people on the XL Forum tell me I’m nuts for wanting to go back. I won’t argue about my sanity; I know I’m nuts. I don’t have the sense that God gave a duck. However, like Popeye, “I am what I am and that’s all what I am!” I’m a Tramp. And it’s time to move on. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Quit yer bitchin and get your ass back to the States so we can meet up for Glitch Badness! | ||
| Crusty |
You know; TWoS is one of my favorite campgrounds anywhere. Ya never know... | ||
| Ourdee |
Come on back Crusty. It may be cold out, but I rode Friday. | ||
| Crusty |
My plane lands at Logan Airport at 9:45 PM On Tuesday, February 9, 2016. I have a few things that I need to do to the Roadster. Hopefully, I'll have them done by mid March and I'll be able to head south, probably with a few days in Tennessee to get some help. (and eat BBQ!) It's looking like another interesting year coming up! | ||
| Damnut |
Need a ride John? | ||
| Crusty |
When thy changed my flight back to the US, they also changed the flight I'm on back to Boston. I'm leaving here earlier in the day, so I'll catch an earlier flight to Boston. Ernie (the friend I'll be staying with) is going to pick me up. Bur thank you for the offer. | ||
| Crusty |
T Minus Five The temps have been around 100º F and the humidity has gone up to 85%. I feel like a soggy potato chip. It’s supposed to cool down a bit for the next few days; I hope the air dries out. 100º and dry is uncomfortable; 100º and humid is miserable. Ron has come home for a few days, and we've been spending the time catching up. The next few days will be fairly busy; Ron has Doctor's appointments in Brisbane, and we're going down to the coast to visit with Kristyn for a day, and we have to get over to the Bakery in Ferndale one more time for one last Steak Sandwich. America does the world's best Burgers, but Australia does the world's best Steak Sandwiches. Right now, it's 5:00 AM, and my T-shirt feels like I put it on before it was dry. It’s not hot, but I have the fan on because I feel so sticky. This humid weather caught me by surprise. The weather here has been hot, but dry. It’s pretty dry around here, though nowhere near as dry as it is inland. This is farming country. The Outback is desert. When it got humid a few days ago, it hit me like a bludgeon. Melia has said that the worst weather here is in February. After the past couple of days, I won’t argue that. It hasn’t really cooled down at night, so I’m not sleeping well. Every time I wake up, I’m soaked with sweat. The evening breezes have stopped, which adds to the temps staying higher during the night. However, even though it’s hot and I’m uncomfortable, it’s better than single digits and ice and frozen snow. So why am I going back to New England now? I ask myself that continuously, even though I know the answer. Icy hell with a motorcycle is better than paradise without one. When I come back next year, I’ll have the money to buy a bike. I can’t swing it right now, but I can save enough over the next year to get something. Even if it’s 20 or even 30 years old, so long as I can ride it around the country, I’ll be happy, Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. That’s especially true about this trip. I had thought things were going to happen one way, but it turned out that they went in a totally different direction. I’m not complaining; the unexpected makes for the most interesting stories and memories, and I have several from this visit. I also have a better idea of what to expect when I return. Like Arnold said, "I'll be back!" | ||
| Greg_e |
Have you given up on fixing the ironhead? | ||
| Crusty |
I'll be bringing parts with me when I come back for the Iron Motor. But It will probably be a couple of years before she's as pretty and reliable as I want. | ||
| Greg_e |
How much to ship a complete running machine over? Seems like it might be cheaper than buying something over there. | ||
| Crusty |
I did that in 1997; it's not worth it. I could have bought a brand new Sportster here for what it cost me. Between buying the bike, fixing it up the way I wanted, the shipping costs, Then there are so many taxes, fees and inspections etc, that I learned that it just wasn't a good financial decision. Even though vehicles are a lot more expensive here than in the States, it's still cheaper to buy here. Of course, if I decide to sell a bike after riding it a while, I'll also get more for it here than in the US. | ||
| Greg_e |
OK, wasn't sure how much headache was involved. | ||
| Crusty |
T Minus Four - Tying Up Loose Ends Today, we went over to Fernvale to the Bakery for lunch. I wanted one last great Australian Steak Sandwich to tide me over until I return. The Bakery is the source of the best steak burger I’ve had on this trip, and I wanted a sandwich to remember until I come back next year. I thought the humidity was going to ease up, but it hasn’t. It’s been raining; not constantly and not heavily but enough to discourage any outdoor activity (like drying clothes). It’s humid enough that I feel clammy even though the temperatures are in the comfortable zone. I have the fan turned on, not to cool me but to dry me off and keep me from sweating. When the temps are in the mid to upper 70’s, and you need the fan, you know it’s humid. I’ve been thinking about the Iron Motor a bit. I want to put a newer set of forks on it so it’ll have better front brakes (as well as new calipers, rotors and Master Cylinder). I also want to put newer switches on it. It needs to have nearly every piece that was chromed either replaced or painted black. I think that the exhaust would look much better Ceramic Coated flat black, while I think the handlebars, risers, headlight hood and upper triple clamp should be powder coated black, but either glossy or semi-gloss. The shocks need replacing. so do the drive chain, primary chain and clutch plates. The fenders should be replaced and repainted along with the gas tank, oil tank and side cover. I should get the Primary cover done in flat black, and probably the cam cover, sprocket cover and rocker boxes, as well. Plus all the little things that are easy to forget until you have to buy them all. The rubber isolators for the handlebar risers, the black rubber boot that goes over the end of the solenoid and so on. It won’t all happen in one year. It’s going to take a while to do it right. I think my goal will be to get it roadworthy next year, then start on the cosmetics the following year. I’ll just have to see how the money holds up. Speaking of money, I had hoped to buy a couple of Australian Opals for a couple of friends who have helped me tremendously. However, they’re much more expensive than I thought, and all the less expensive dealers are situated farther inland than I can get to. While I could find some a bit closer, the price goes from merely too expensive to incredibly exorbitant. Well; I’d like to get them, but Italian Disease prevents it (Italian Disease - Mafunzalow) If I ever hit the Lottery, I’m going to have a lot of fun spending my winnings. In the meantime, I need to squeeze my nickels. Tomorrow, we’re going down to the coast to see Kristyn one last time. I’m hoping to get a chance to swim in the South Pacific Ocean once more. I haven been in the water the whole time I’ve been here. I really miss it. I still remember my first experience with the ocean here, back in 1994. Ron and Melia were telling me that there were cold currents from the Antarctic that were keeping the water cold, and I laughed at them because I didn’t keep my house in Massachusetts that warm during the winter. I really enjoy swimming in the ocean here; I hope I get the chance to tomorrow. Maybe Kristyn will know where I can get a couple of reasonably priced Opals. I doubt it, but you never know. Well; should you find yourself west of Brisbane around lunchtime or so, I highly recommend stopping at the Bakery in Fernvale. | ||
| Damnut |
As of 9:45 am, this is what the parking lot of my work in Lowell Massachusetts looks like.     Still wanna come back????? | ||
| Crusty |
Tick…Tick…Tick Three days until I leave. Damnut posted a couple of pictures from his job’s parking lot showing the snow. I looked at Intellicast, and starting on the day I get back, the temps are falling below freezing and I have no idea when they’ll come back up. I’m returning at the coldest part of the winter. Well; I knew in my heart that it would probably be like that, but I still have to go back. I also know that in my heart. The song, Up On Cripple Creek is running through my head this morning. Mainly the last verse; There’s a flood out in California And up north it’s freezing cold And this living on the road is getting pretty old So I guess I’ll call up my Big Mamma and tell her I’ll be rollin’ in But you know deep down I’m kinda tempted to go and see my Bessie again. Along with the song, there’s a fatalistic line from the novel Dune that also keeps running through my head this morning: When God has ordained that a creature dies in a certain place, he causes that creature’s desires to direct him to that place. I don’t think I’m coming back to die, but my desires are certainly bringing me back to winter at its coldest point. I wonder what I'm going to learn? I've learned some unexpected things by coming to Australia, so I wonder what's waiting back home? Maybe it's just that I have to ride or I'm miserable. I’ve ridden in the cold for many years, and I have the gear for it. I don’t enjoy it a whole lot, but after almost three months of not riding, I bet it’ll feel wonderful. My soul is crying for a ride. Even riding in sub freezing temperatures is better than not riding in perfect weather. I have a little bit of work to do on the Roadster to get it ready for the coming summer. I think I’ll be able to get it all done before the warm weather arrives. She’s going to be very close to my idea of what I want her to be. I hope. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Crusty - given the choice of 100deg/95% RH or snow... I'd take snow too. I haven't been able to ride since just after Christmas. Best wishes for the next phase. Z | ||
| Crusty |
Tick, Tick, Tick Time is speeding up. My flight is Tuesday morning, and I have things that need to be accomplished before then. I need to do one last load of laundry and put it on the line to dry. I need to get into town to pick up a few items, and I need to pack. The only troublesome item is the laundry. We’ve had scattered showers for days, now and it only takes one rain shower to double the drying time. Well, I know there’s a Laundromat in town, and I can go there if I have to. Yesterday, I got to swim in the South Pacific Ocean. I flat loved it. Ron, Melia and I piled into the Suzuki and drove down to Kristyns. The weather was scattered rain showers. It would be fine; a few fluffy white clouds with abundant sunshine and blue sky at one point; then, ten or fifteen minutes later it would be pouring so hard we couldn’t see a hundred yards away. Then the sun would come back out, the rain water would dry up and it would be beautiful again. Sometimes, it would be sunny on one side of the car and pitch dark and ominous on the other. We even had sun showers. It would be pouring buckets on us, but the sun was shining. It was not what I’d call ideal beach weather. We got to Kristyns, and had lunch and the weather continued . It oscillated from deluge to sunny and mild and back I pretty much resigned myself to not getting to swim in the ocean on this trip. Then, during a dry spell, we decided to just do it. We went down to the beach and jumped in. It was even better than I remembered ( and I had good memories of the ocean here) The water was bath water warm with some good sized waves We played in the water for over an hour, then the black clouds began moving overhead, so we dried off and beat it back to the house. However, even if it had rained on us, we wouldn’t have gotten any wetter, nor would we have gotten cold. The rain was the same temperature as the water. which was pretty close to 80º F. When I come back next year, Kristyn wants me to spend at least a week at her house so I can get to swim more. That sounds good to me. Kristyn loves the beach and the ocean, and she doesn’t want to live away from it. She loves to get up early and go down to the beach and take photos of the sunrise. She showed us some that she’d taken this past week and they were magnificent. After swimming, nobody really felt like cooking, so we ordered Chinese. It was different from Chinese back home, but it was still good. We sat for a few more hours, then left around 8:30 PM NSW time (7:30 QLD time). We passed through several heavy rain showers and got home at 10:00 local time. It was a wonderful day. | ||
| Crusty |
Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick I’ve got all my clothes packed in the new (to me) bag. It’s more like a duffel bag with a hard bottom and wheels than it is a suitcase. It’s also huge. There’s a ton of room to spare. My suitcase was destroyed by one of the airlines on the flight to Australia. A plastic handle was completely gone two of the zippers were mangled beyond use and the plastic stiffener around the sides was shattered. I figure that it either fell off the baggage transport going to or from the plane and got run over, or something really heavy got dropped on it. (the glass jar of B&M Baked Beans packed inside didn’t fare too well, either) Anyway, Melia had a spare bag that she gave me. She gets bags from Roni Ann. Whenever Simplice goes to a Competition, he gets a new bag. Simplice is a Olympic caliber Weight Lifter who travels all over the world. He’s supplied with a new bag each time he has to fly by the Athletic Committee, so he and Roni have several spares. Ron left this morning for Honiara. After tomorrow, Melia will have the farm all to herself. I’m heading back to winter at its worst point. Even so, I’m happy to be heading back. I have things to change on the Roadster, and I want to have them done before the summer hits and I’m back on the road. Hard bags sure will be nice, along with the bigger gas tank and cast wheels. I’m not really looking forward to the flight home. The trip to Australia was miserably long and left me feeling like a worn out dishrag. I hope the trip home is better. I’ll know soon enough. At this time tomorrow, I should be somewhere over the Tasman Sea on my way to Aukland. Once there, I’ll board a plane for the USA. It’s funny; when I came here, it took two days to get here. I left on the morning of the17th of November and arrived on the morning of the 19th some 50 hours later. Tomorrow, my flight leaves Brisbane at 11:20 AM on the 9th of February, and I arrive at 9:44 PM in Boston, 10 1/2 hours later on the same day. Crossing time zones can sure be fun. Or somethin’. Anyway, in less than a day, I’ll be off again! | ||
| 86129squids |
Be safe John, and Godspeed to your travels. | ||
| Pwnzor |
What Brad said. Godspeed sir. | ||
| Blake |
Keep posting !  | ||
| Crusty |
I'm in Aukland, New Zealand. My flight to the US leaves in about an hour. I'm coming home! | ||
| Etennuly |
 go Crusty! |
