Winter

Over the past month I've been hanging onto the hope that the weather would allow me to get one more ride on the bike in, but unfortunately that hasn't happened. I had to leave town for work after my last blog entry, and when I returned 11 days later, the ground was covered with more than a foot of snow. There was also a lot of snow pack on the streets, which is gone now, but has been replaced by cold weather. I've shifted my hopes now to an early spring, it can't come early enough now that I finally own a motorcycle. This picture was taken on October 13, the last day I was able to get a ride in.

I picked up the bike on May 23, so it ends up being less than 5 months of riding for this year. Total kilometers for the season was 10,889. Fortunately I should be able to start the riding season much earlier next year, and am expecting to get many more kilometers of traveling.

Speaking of traveling, I've been spending some time planning trips, and going over different routes in the last few weeks. There are so many places and things I want to see, and there's never enough time or money it seems. I've made plans for at least a month off in early summer, financed by the money I used to spend on cigarettes.

It's been almost 12 weeks now as a non-smoker, and I've finally gotten to the point where I actually don't think about it as much anymore. There are times when something will trigger me to reach for a cigarette, or where I get a craving, but it's much different than it was. A craving now is not really intense, more like a passing feeling or thought. Even the smell of cigarettes isn't as awesome as it was when I quit, and it smells much worse in a small space. There is a sense of relief and thankfulness as well now that I've finally quit the habit. I keep putting away money each week, and watching that account grow is a reward in itself. Although I don't really notice myself feeling any better, I think once I can drop the weight I've gained since quitting, I will notice improvements in how I feel as well.

The rowing machine arrived, and I've been working out on it for a little over two weeks now. Most days it feels like it will kill me! I haven't seen any results from it yet, but I think with time it will certainly begin to whip me into shape. My eating habits are also terrible, and hopefully I can learn to improve them as well. It seems like getting rid of the smoking habit has opened my eyes to how unhealthy I've become, and I would like to get into better shape now that nothing is holding me back.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the veterans that have served, and are serving, in the armed forces. I will never understand the true price they paid for my freedom, and therefore will never be able to thank them enough.

First snow

We got our first snow up here today, it started coming down early in the afternoon. Hard to believe just yesterday I was golfing, getting in a round on the last day that the course was open this year. Most of the snow just melted away throughout the afternoon, but the last of it to come down has stayed on the ground.

The prospect of the looming winter is bringing me down, as it means there will be no golf or riding the scooter for the next 6-7 months. Every year at this time I wonder why I still live way up north here. The summers are beautiful, not too hot and long daylight hours. Winter, on the other hand, is bitterly cold and it's dark when I get up and dark when I get home from work. This year I find myself dreading winter even more because of the fact that I won't be able to ride the bike. I suppose it's a good time to work more and save the money to take a long vacation once the summer arrives again.

Today marked 7 weeks cigarette-free for me, a milestone I really didn't think I would reach. The cravings have been quite intense in the last few days as I struggle to picture a future free of cigarettes. I know in the long run deciding to quit will be worth it, but it's been hard to stick to the plan. The money that I've been putting away every week is starting to build up, almost as quickly as my weight has shot up. I've gained around 10 pounds since giving up cigarettes, something that I need to deal with.

I haven't felt good about the weight gain, or about how out of shape I've become. To try and lose weight and get my cardiovascular strength back up, I ordered a water rowing machine. This will give me something to focus on during the long winter months, and I'm actually really looking forward to the challenge of getting into better shape. I don't have too many expectations as far as weight loss, but if I could find a way to lose at least 20-25 pounds by spring I would be very happy.

Looking around my place, I can tell there are a lot of things that need attention, but were pushed off as I tried to make the most of the last good weather. I guess it's time to tackle some of them now. Hopefully we get a few nice days yet in the next couple weeks so I can take another ride or two before winter shuts riding down for good.

Kokanee Trip, Day 11 (Aug 20/12)

Today would be the end of my vacation, which is always disappointing. Darcy and I went for breakfast, and then he headed off to work and made my way across town to the Harley dealer where I had an appointment for my 8000km service job. I got there too early, and ended up going for a coffee with another biker who was also waiting for the dealer to open.

I did a little shopping and reading while they serviced my bike, which ended up taking longer than expected. It was 12:30pm when I got on the bike and began to make my way back home. I was expecting a quick trip home, probably arriving right around supper time.

I kept noticing that the oil dipstick was popping up, and wasn't sure why. About 45 minutes out of Grande Prairie, as I entered a right hand curve, the dipstick blew out of the tank, soaking my leg and the back of my bike with hot oil. There was a big rig right behind me, and there was nothing left of my dipstick by the time I had pulled over and went to see if I could find it.

I called the dealer in GP, and they assured me they would come to my aid. It took them 2 hours to drive the 70km, and I was quite surprised to see that it wasn't even a technician that came out. Their solution was to install a new dipstick, and not knowing anything about engines, I decided to rely on them.

Fairview isn't too far from where I broke down, and the new dipstick seemed to be doing the trick. I ate lunch, hoping that I was good to go now. I constantly checked my dipstick, and for some reason the thing held up until I got about 40km north of Manning. It was after 6pm now, and the dealership was closed, so it figures that's when I would begin to have issues again.

The dipstick was now doing the exact same thing as before, and although I'm no mechanic, it didn't seem right to have as much pressure in my oil tank. After doing some searches on Google, I thought that maybe the whole problem was just an over filled oil tank. I was able to get a guy to help me tip my bike over at a rest stop to drain a little oil and see if that would solve my problems.

It was only 2km or so down the road when my bike lost power, and I coasted to a stop on the side of the road. By now I was at a complete loss for what to do, and thankfully a vehicle pulled over. By now I had a feeling that there was a breather or something that was plugged, causing the back pressure in my oil tank. After not being able to find any solution to the problem, I ended up pulling the dipstick out far enough to vent the pressure, and just slowly rode home.

It was 10:30 by the time I got home, the trip taking about 4 hours longer than expected. It was a terrible end to a great vacation, and not knowing how serious the problem with my bike was really sucked. I was tired, and it was too late anyway to figure anything out, so I had a shower and went to sleep.


*Resolution*

I talked with the dealer the next day, and they really didn't have a clue, which is no surprise. Grande Prairie Harley Davidson should be avoided at all costs, the staff is totally incompetent, and even worse doesn't seem to care. They had another bike on their lot with the same problem, and yet they never bothered to tell me this when I called in after breaking down. The way they handled this situation just confirmed to me that they will never touch another bike I own.

Nothing was figured out on the first day back home, and after finding nothing after going through my oil system, I decided to look through the air system in my service manual. Right away I saw that there are two little vent hoses that send excess oil vapor back into the air intake. I removed my air cleaner, and immediately saw that those two hoses were bent over and pinched off completely. As soon as I unfolded the hoses, they defaulted to a position that looked like it would be normal. I knew right then that I had figured out the problem.

As I was gearing up to take a test ride, the dealer called and asked if that was something I would be able to check. The tech sounded miffed when I told him that I had already done that, and was ready to test ride. I was told to call them after the ride to let them know if everything was okay, which I did. I was only able to leave a message, and have never heard from them again. Terrible customer service, seeing as how it was their tech that caused the problem by pinching off the hoses, and then not even getting a proper apology from them.

The best part is that my bike was fixed and running awesome once again, which is the most important part of all of this. 

Kokanee Trip, Day 10 (Aug 19/12)

Got up and, just like every morning on the road, I took some time to drink some coffee before checking out of the hotel room. I had gotten gas for the bike the night before, but decided to eat something before starting out on the road. Breakfast is a meal I rarely eat, having relied on cigarettes and coffee for many years to get me going, and this morning it felt good to get some food in me.

The road was quite straight north of Rocky Mountain House, and also quite flat, so it wasn't the most interesting ride. I hadn't been through this area in a few years, so it was still cool to look around and enjoy the ride. The last 45 minutes of the Cowboy Trail were kind of rough, the road starting to show signs of age. There was some construction, so I'm guessing that the road with get re-surfaced in the near future.

I reached the end of the Cowboy Trail in Mayerthorpe, and I think it's pretty neat to have ridden the Highway from start to finish. Mayerthorpe to Valleyview is divided highway (think interstate if you are in the USA), and I made great time roaring down a highway I've been on a lot in my life. I did stop for gas and a quick lunch in Whitecourt.

I hadn't been on the road between Valleyview and Grande Prairie in many years, so that stretch of highway was a little more interesting. I was planning to stay with friends, but since they were out camping, I had time to grab another snack and relax a little before they got home.

It was nice to visit with friends again, and I really appreciated the opportunity to stay the night. Darcy and I got a pizza in the evening as we hadn't really had dinner. After a great shower, I went to bed, and fell asleep really quick.

522.7km traveled today

Kokanee Trip, Day 9 (Aug 18/12)

I took the opportunity to sleep in this morning, only getting up at 8am. I lounged in my room drinking some coffee, and going outside for a cigarette. It was after 9 by the time I left the hotel, and then I enjoyed a nice breakfast, before hitting the road at 10. It was quite cool this morning, but the sun was out, and I was dressed warm enough to enjoy the crisp morning air.

In Sparwood I stopped to pick up something to drink, and was on the bike getting ready to leave, when some guy pulled up beside me. Now I enjoy meeting new people, but this guy was strung out and very unpredictable. It felt to me like he really needed someone to talk to, and I obliged for a while, but it was a very fractured conversation. I hope he pulled over somewhere to sleep, since I never did see him again even though I stopped beside the road to take pictures more than once.

As I rode east, the mountains turned to foothills, something that always brings me down a little. Not long after returning to my home province, I reached the start of Highway 22 (The Cowboy Trail). I will ride this road beginning to end on my journey north.

The best part of the Cowboy Trail is that it bypasses Calgary and Edmonton, meaning I won't have to be in the city and deal with that traffic. Speaking of traffic, it was pretty light for the first while, although it began to pick up a lot as I neared Cochrane. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and I met a ton of bikes. There must have been some kind of ride happening in Cochrane, but I wasn't able to gather any info in my stop over at the Tim Horton's for a lunch and a coffee.

I passed through a lot of small towns throughout the day, never having to deal with too much traffic. The feeling of freedom is so much easier to attain when one isn't dealing with heavy city traffic or city scenery. With the mountains off in the distance, riding through the ranch land was easy on the eyes.

The ride ended much too early once again, in Rocky Mountain House. After winding down a little, and having a shower, I went for dinner. I had tried contacting an old friend earlier in the day, not sure if she lived in Rocky or Sylvan Lake. She got back to me, and after a couple messages back and forth, she said she was coming to RMH for a coffee.

Kathy, her husband Chris, and her brother David arrived at around 8pm and we had a good time catching up over a coffee. It definitely made my evening much more enjoyable to connect with old friends. So if you're reading this, thanks for making the effort to drive the 45 minutes each way to see me:)

I smoked the last cigarette of the package I purchased yesterday and decided that I was now done with smoking. The Champix pills I have been taking to help me quit are blocking the nicotine anyway, so the time has arrived to man up and quit.

470.7km today

Kokanee Trip, Day 8 (Aug 17/12)

Our group, minus Billy, played the last golf of the week. We played only the back 9, where they managed to put some nasty pins for our farewell. Even though I was hitting the ball better, my short game never did come around. It's always a little sad to see a good time to come to an end, but I was looking forward to riding for a few days again.

I was able to leave most of my luggage with Billy's vehicle, which would make the return trip easy for me with only one bag to carry. After bidding the rest of them a safe trip home, I departed Kokanee Springs at 11:30. The ride down to Creston was awesome, very little traffic on the road once again, letting me enjoy the and the curves.

Being on the bike moves my soul, easily making this my favorite purchase ever. It's not about the destination once I'm riding, it's all about the journey. The sense of freedom and adventure is exactly what I always dreamed it would be, and I can only wish I had been able to afford a bike much earlier in life.

I stopped in Creston for and A&W lunch, and then broke down and bought a package of cigarettes before continuing on. The kilometers passed by much to quickly, so I pulled over at a day use area beside a lake. There were a lot of people enjoying the great summer weather, and I sat in the shade having a snack and a couple cigarettes.

After Cranbrook, I was once again on a road I traveled a few years ago, but it's funny how much of the scenery you miss in a car. I do remember we were in a hurry for some reason on the previous trip, but there was no rush this time. I could easily have ridden another 200 or 300 kilometers, but I did have a hotel reservation in Fernie. After a shower and a little down time, I went for dinner. I also got gas for the bike so that I would be ready to go in the morning.

292.9km traveled today

Kokanee Trip, Day 7 (Aug 16/12)

Thursday morning Billy and I were paired with the ladies for our last 18 hole round of the week in BC. I was pressing really hard for a good round, and actually had a great start, which only lasted until the 5th hole. I wound up shooting my worst score of the week, a very disappointing turn of events.

The group had lunch together and then we took our lesson for the day. We planned to play only 9 holes in the afternoon, which gave us some free time after lunch. The other 5 people in the group went down to the beach, and I took the opportunity to take another run down Highway 3A on the bike.

There was virtually no traffic on the road, which allowed me to open up the throttle and push the bike through the twisting and turning road. It was exhilarating to hear the engine roar, smell the air rushing by, and take in the beautiful scenery all around me. The lake is right beside the road to the west, and immediately to the east of the road are the mountains. There were a few times I pushed a little too hard and it got a little tense, but I managed to keep the shiny side up.

I've always been a bit of a loner, so the few hours on my own were welcome. That's not to say I don't like people, because I do, but I certainly do need time alone as well. I put gas in the bike, and returned to the resort to spend a little time relaxing in the room.

David and Karen have done this golf week with other before, and one tradition they had was to play a round of golf barefoot on Thursday night. We again drew golf balls out of a hat to determine teams of 2. Karen and I were together, David and Billy were the second team, and Colter and Jean were the third team.

The highlight of the week (for me anyway), came on hole 4. It's a big drop to the fairway from the tee, overall it's a short par 4. I put a drive in the fairway, 61 yards from the pin. Karen and I decided to use my ball for the second shot. Normally she would hit first and then I would hit, but for some reason I decided to just hit first this time. I remember telling her to not take it as a sign of confidence as I got over the ball. The sun was low and right in our faces, so I focused on keeping my head down through the shot. As soon as I hit the ball I knew it was going to be good, and I shaded my face to watch the ball. It landed on the green, released, and rolled about 5 feet and dropped into the cup for an eagle!

This prompted the most awkward moment Billy and I have ever had, as he ran up from beside the green, jumped into me, and after a brief hug we both went down. It was great to have that happen after how badly I had played all week. Strangely enough, Colter chipped in moments later for birdie from the fringe. Hole 4 didn't stand a chance against us Thursday evening.

It was almost completely dark by the time we finished our round of golf, and I was feeling a little of the affects from the alcohol I had consumed. I didn't have that much, but enough to get a nice warm buzz. Our group went to Bunkers to get something to eat, although I didn't really eat all that much.

After the food I went up to the room to change, and then hopefully find something to do. I laid down on the bed to relax a little, and the next thing I remember it was morning. I was obviously tired, as it was only 10pm when I got to the room.

Kokanee Trip, Day 6 (Aug 15/12)

I was up before 7am again, and after a little coffee and getting ready for the day, I was on the range with our group for the warm up. It was decided that the girls would play with the other group, leaving the four guys together for a round for the first time. We all headed to the first tee together, where we got the only group picture of the week.

The course is pretty, but it has teeth, and I managed to put golf balls in a lot of bad spots all week long. I will always remember this trip for how poorly I hit the ball, and the staggering amount of stupid mistakes I made over the ball. All in all it was still fun to play, a bad day of golf is still 100 times better than a good day at work after all:)

When our group convened for lunch, we discussed playing a round at a course on the other side of the lake. It would require us to skip the day's lesson, but I agreed it would be worth it to have a change of scenery and mix up the routine a little.

The ride down to the lake was awesome, any chance I get to ride is treasured. It spawned one of the most conflicting pictures I have of myself, and I'm sure many people who saw me wondered if I was missing a few marbles. I didn't deem it necessary to change out of the clothes from the morning round, and the Loudmouth golf pants and the Harley don't really mix!

It was a 35 minute ride on the ferry, which I spent mostly leaning against the rail and taking in the scenery and letting the air from the water cool me down a little. Even though we are playing a ton of golf, and getting up early every day, the break from work and regular life is exactly what I needed.

The Balfour golf course is only a few minutes ride from the lake, and after getting our carts and clubs, we drew balls out of a hat to determine the two threesomes. David, Colter, and I were up against Billy, Karen, and Jean. The golf course has a pretty standard mountain layout in the front 9, but the back 9 gets a little more wild. I think it's Hole 11 that features a 15 foot pin in the hole, just so that it will be visible from the fairway so far below the green.

We had dinner at a nice place right beside the lake as we waited for the last ferry of the night to take us back over. I sat outside as the darkness descended, taking in the moment. Once we boarded I reflected on a lot of things on the trip over. I spent half the trip laying on the observation deck, looking up into the night sky. It's amazing how many stars there are when one is actually able to see them. It's moments like these when I wonder how people can actually want to live in an urban environment, but I guess that leaves a lot more space for those of us that couldn't handle city life.

Billy and I enjoyed a smoke and some conversation before we retired to our rooms. I've been having 1 or 2 smokes a day, not quite able to let go of them yet.

Kokanee Trip, Day 5 (Aug 14/12)

Had a great night of sleep, and when I awoke at 6:45 I felt great. I was going to make sure no matter how bad I played, or how frustrated I would get at times, I was not letting it take away from enjoying this experience. The morning coffee got me going, and our group all met out on the range once again. Billy and I would once again play the morning round with another couple from the other group.

There were stretches where I played okay, but for some reason I was not able to strike the ball like I had been up until this week. Now, let's keep in mind that I'm nothing more than a weekend hack, but I do have some standards and was playing below them at Kokanee.

Our group met after the morning 18, and after a nice lunch together, we headed out to the range for another golf lesson. So much of golf is muscle memory, that I wasn't really expecting immediate results from these lessons. My goal is to take something from every day, and work it into my game over the remainder of the season.

The weather has been amazing since I left home, haven't seen a drop of rain so far. Plenty of warm weather and sunshine

Billy and Colter headed out together to play stroke play in the afternoon round, while David and I took on Karen & Jean in a 2-ball match. It was a great mental break to not worry about scoring so much, and just have some fun playing golf. We beat the girls, not by much, and in no part due to my contributions as I rode the coat-tails of David all the way:) It's been nice to get to know the people in our group better, as I didn't really know any of them very well except for Billy.

By the time the round ended darkness was beginning to descend, and after dinner at the golf course restaurant, I retired to my room for a shower and then bed time.

Kokanee Trip, Days 4 (Aug 13/12)

Morning came early, no time to sleep in as we had tee times for 7:40 and 7:50. The view from the deck outside of the room was so peaceful, making me wonder once again why I don't live in the mountains.

Our group hit the range to warm up in the morning, and it was decided that Billy and I would be teeing off with a pair from the other group of 6 that was taking the school. We met Ruth and Jerry, and right away I could tell it would be an interesting round of golf. I still wish I could have known Ruth in her younger days, I would bet she was a wild one back then. My guess is that she and her husband were somewhere in their sixties, but still had a lot of spunk left, especially her. It was great to play with strangers who we could have fun with, one of the funnest rounds of golf for me so far this year.

I played like crap, which would be a recurring theme for me all week, and at times it was a little hard to enjoy the golf. After not sleeping much the previous night, and probably a little tired from my first experience traveling on a motorcycle, I could feel my body getting fatigued throughout the morning round.

After eating lunch, we met on the range for our first golf lesson from the pro. The pro had solid advice, and I'm sure it will help me in the future, but as we tee'd off for the second 18 hole round it wasn't helping. Playing poorly, struggling with my attempt to quit smoking, and tired I bowed out of the last 9 holes and took a shower and had a nice nap.

I met the rest of the group on the 18th hole, and we drove down to the ferry crossing at the Kootenay Lake. We had dinner at a small Italian place, where I had the best pizza of my life. It was dark, but sitting on what was little more than a fancy covered porch was a very relaxing setting, and the perfect way to end the day.

Kokanee Trip, Day 3 (Aug 12/12)

Just before going to bed last night I realized that I had left the charger for my phone in the hotel in Hinton. The phone was nearly dead by the time I awoke, and after doing a little research, I found a store that sold them but would only open at 11am. This gave me a chance to have a very relaxed breakfast, poke around the small town a little, and chat with a couple for a few minutes before the store opened.

Got the charger for the phone, and was chomping at the bit to get some saddle time again. It was great to start the day with temperatures warm enough to only wear the vest. The scenery from Invermere to Cranbrook is beautiful, but quite different from the previous day. I stopped for an ice cream in Cranbrook, and sent a message to the friends I was planning on meeting at Kokanee Springs for a 5 day golf camp/vacation. Turns out three of them were in Cranbrook as well, but they wanted to do some shopping so I let them know that I would continue to ride.

The rest of the ride was all through country that I hadn't seen before. It's always cool to see new places and scenery. About a half hour before Creston, I pulled into a rest area to use the restroom and hopefully find an outlet to charge my phone a little more. I didn't find an outlet, but after seeing me look for the plug, another traveler offered to charge my phone in his vehicle to get enough charge so that I could communicate with the friends I was meeting. I ended up chatting the guy and his wife, who were heading home to Calgary from close to where I was heading. It was nice to have a break and talk with some people, which I've already learned is one of the coolest things of traveling on a motorcycle. Conversation with strangers happens almost every time I stop, and even though it's often just small talk, I enjoy the act of meeting new people.

I arrived Creston, stopped to grab a cold drink, and as I was getting on the bike I saw the three of my friends pass by me on the street. By the time I was on the outskirts of Creston I was right behind their vehicle. I passed them as we made our way north on Highway 3A, which is a hidden gem of a highway for anyone on a motorcycle. Lots of twists and turns, but too much traffic this Sunday afternoon. About halfway along the 80km of road between Creston and Crawford Bay, I pulled into a rest stop to try and get some open road in front of me. Billy, Colter, and Jean pulled into the rest stop as well and we chatted for a few minutes, before setting off for the last little ride.

We arrived Kokanee Springs, and the four of us checked into our rooms. We took a little time to freshen up, and then walked down to Bunkers, the golf course restaurant. Shortly after placing our dinner order, the meeting for the golf camp began, and we ate our dinner outside as we listened to the pro talk about what we were going to be doing. David and Karen arrived halfway through the meeting, and now the whole group was together.

All of us changed into golf clothes and headed to the range to hit some golf balls, which was nice after all the traveling in the last three days. After the range session, we headed back to our rooms, and all of us congregated on the deck for some drinks, snacks, and conversation.

Only traveled 333.2km today

Kokanee Trip, Day 2 (Aug 11/12)

I started the day knowing that I would have plenty of time to get to Invermere, BC, where I had a reservation for the next night on the road. After being lazy in my room and having some coffee, I went down for the free continental breakfast. After eating I got my luggage back onto the bike, and began the day's riding. A quick check of the weather app on my phone told me it was 0 degrees outside, although it did feel warmer than that in the sun.

After riding slab for the better part of the previous day, it was awesome to finally hit the mountains! There is something about being in the mountains that calms my soul, and even though it was quite chilly on the bike, I was exactly where I wanted to be.

What people have to realize is that I have dreamed about traveling on a motorcycle for over 20 years, so to be finally doing it now was almost surreal. I remember thinking many times that this day might be the best day of my life thus far. The scenery was amazing as always, such a different experience to see it from the seat of my Harley Heritage.

There were many stops throughout the day as I made my way along the Parkway. Stopped at the Crossroads to get some gas and something to eat. Chatted with a few other riders, and had my only cigarette of the day there. There were many times I really craved a smoke, but I was quite determined to not give in.

The mix of sun and cloud in the morning gave way to sun in the afternoon, and the temperature continued to climb as the day passed. By the time I arrived Radium Hot Springs, BC the temperature had climbed all the way to 30C!

After checking into the hotel in Invermere, I had some dinner, and then decided to get some more riding in. I rode out to the Eagle Ranch golf course, where a friend and I golfed two years ago. We also golfed Greywolf, and I decided to make the half hour ride up the mountain. I remembered the road was a twister, and it was awesome to grind the floorboards a little to end the day.

510.2km traveled today

Kokanee Trip, Day 1 (Aug.10/12)

Having packed almost everything the night before, it was just a matter of loading my luggage onto the bike and I was ready to go. I did take some time to relax and enjoy a coffee before departing.

I hit the road at 7:53am, and had what would turn out to be the closest call with a vehicle only 100 meters from home. I managed to narrowly avoid a vehicle pulling out from behind an RV parked on the side of the street. It certainly caused me to think more in traffic for the rest of the journey.

It felt great to get on the open road, and although I had set a fairly lofty goal for the day's ride, I felt more than ready to achieve it. The skies were sunny, and it was warm, but the wind kept picking up as I made my way south.

Had a very strange experience with a bee about half an hour out of Grande Prairie. I felt the bug hit me in the forehead, but thought that it had just bounced off like the bugs usually do. Thirty seconds or so after the hit, I could feel what I figured was the bee crawling in behind my riding goggles. I removed the goggles, and sure enough, there was the bee crawling on the inside of the foam. Brushing at it once didn't get rid of it, so I decided to grab it with my gloved hand and get rid of it. I got a hold of it, and immediately felt a stinging in my right eye. I began to slow down and pull over, completely blind in that eye by the time I pulled onto an approach. I spent the next 20 minutes washing my eye with water, eventually continued on even though my eye still burned a lot.

I had a quick bite to eat at Wendy's, and then got back on the bike. I was approached by a stranger, who wasn't happy about coming to GP for work (it obviously hadn't worked out for him). Even though my bike was heavily laden with luggage, he still asked for a ride, and seemed a little surprised when I told him it wouldn't work. Certainly have to wonder what he was thinking.

A week or so ago I had put a hold on a luggage rack at the Harley dealer in GP, which required me to remove my saddle bags to install. Luckily I had the tools needed to do the job, and after a half hour on the dealer parking lot, I was once again ready for the road.

The sunny skies had given way to cloud cover, and smoke from forest fires became worse as I headed south towards Hinton. The ride to GP was kind of boring, a trip I have made far too many times, but it felt great to get out of the city. As I make my way south, I start to get into the foothills, which means the mountains can only be a short distance away.

After not having a cigarette all day, I broke down and bought a pack in Grande Cache, and enjoyed a cigarette before continuing south. The plan for this trip is to try and quit smoking, after being on the Champix pills for almost two weeks now.

It was almost 8pm by the time I arrived at Highway 16, the Yellowhead Highway. I stopped to take a picture of the mountains in the distance, before heading 2km east to Hinton, where I would be spending the night. Checked into the hotel, and then went to get some food, and then getting gas for the bike. Then it was time for a shower, a little relaxing, and then sleep. I smoked 4 of the cigarettes in the pack, and just before turning in for the night, flushed the remainder of the package down the toilet.

818.1km traveled today

Ramble

Played the Club Championship today, played great in the front (40) but managed to blow up in the back (48), to shoot the same score I did last year. Golf has been quite frustrating for me this summer, basically averaging the same score I did last year. After learning so much since I took up the game in the spring of 2009, this is the first time that my scoring hasn't improved dramatically from season to season. I'm really hoping that I can finish strong in the final month of the season.

The quest to stop smoking is still going well, as I have gone almost 4 weeks without so much as a puff on a cigarette. There have been many tough times so far, and I'm sure many more tough times to come, but this is the best I've ever done as far as I can remember. I often find myself yearning for a cigarette, even though I know it wouldn't be nearly as good as I imagine. The mental battle has been the hardest part so far, though I'm slowly becoming stronger in my resolve. Every week I transfer $100, which was approximately what I spent on cigarettes, into a savings account. Watching the money grow, and seeing that the funds will allow me to take more time off next summer to travel, has certainly helped to stay cigarette free.

Speaking of traveling, there are so many places that I want to see after being bitten hard by the travel bug last year. The trip to Texas last spring, and then the trip to Washington D.C. opened my eyes to how much fun it is to see new places. Buying the Harley that I've dreamed of for 20 years, and finding out how much fun it is to ride made me realize that I could now finally take some of the trips that I've dreamed of. The plan is to take around two months off in spring to take a long trip on the bike, although routes and destinations have still not been hashed out.

This blog was originally started to document trips I will be taking, although there will be times where I take it in a totally different direction. Golf is another hobby that I really enjoy, so there will be reports on that at time as well.

Hello

I'm new to the world of blogging, but decided that it might be a good way for anyone to follow me in the future when I travel. It would be much easier for me to post any entry instead of sending emails to friends and family.

I don't know if I will ever use this at all, I guess we'll see where the road leads.