Been driftin west. CTFWs in Trooper, playn w/ grandkids, fishin, shootin, gettn stuck

[cowpuc]

Had to cut it somewhat short to come home and check on my mom who had a stroke while we were gone (she's in Rehab now but doing pretty good = thoughts and prayers would be appreciated) but over all - another FANTASTIC time of CTFW's!! Having just got home, we pulled Tweeksis out of the garage this morning for a quick "get some local riding in" and hooked up with a group of over 100 bikes passing along the lake shore and Tweeksis got a whole day of lake shore riding in doing what she loves the most = chasing down HD's .. The weather back home here is AWESOME = BEAUTIFUL for local CTFW here!! Hope you all have been out getting it done!! :biker:,, with NONE of this !!

Concerning our west coast fun,,,, let's go back to where it all began with:

 

 

 

This video shows how easy it is to create a Mini Motor Home out of the most fuel effecient production vehicle in the world - the Hyundai Ioniq. After spending a lifetime of motorcycle touring America and accumulating well over 1 million miles of tent camping doing such and getting knocked off the bike by cancer - Trooper, our 2018 Ioniq seen in this series, came to our rescue and is doing a WONDERFUL job of keeping us out there enjoying the freedom of the open road.. Get out ride (or drive) while you can!!

 

 

Trooper is AMAZING when it comes to high speed cruising out in the vast endless regions of the Western U.S,, a known no-mans land where a guy and his wife can get run over if they can't maintain +90 mph.. In one of my other cross country trip video's I showed where Trooper's cruise control was functional all the way down to 16 mph (even when he is running soley on electricity while flowing thru the narrow paths of our countries majestic western mountain regions).. Finding out that Troopers cruise also works up into triple digits as shown in this video is also a HUGE plus in my opinion.. THANK YOU Hyundai!! This little hybrid is definitely an amazing little road mate who has long since won a special place in our home and in our hearts!! We love him!!

 

 

This video doesn't really do this rainbow show justice but is better than nothing.. This is actually just the very tail end of gorgeous complete double rainbow that appeared right after a monster of western storm, the type of storm that actually had both my wife and myself rejoicing that we had a roof over our head (although we have ridden thru worst on our bike) this time - guess we are just getting up there in the years..

 

[BlueSky]

I was beginning to worry about you not having seen you on the forum for a while. Glad you checked in and glad you're having fun!!! Very sorry about Mom.

[Sylvester]

So happy you enjoyed yourself. Prayers have been continuous for your mother and family.

 

Glad you returned safe.

 

[Kretz]

Pleased you're still out there having some fun Puc. Love & all the very best to your Mom for a speedy recovery!

[Condor]

Glad you're back... Prayers for Mom..

[cowpuc]

This Lincoln Monument at a rest area along I-80 stands as a wonderful testimony to Old Abe and his love of freedom! What a beautiful country we have inherited from those who came before us!

 

 

Troopers DCT gear ratios combined with his final drive ratio allows for him to slumber along at 100 mph at 3100 RPM. It is amazing how well his little 1.6 liter engine performs even at these higher speeds even while still delivering an average 50 mpg while doing so (this still amazes me, non of the motorcycles I wore out thru the years gone by could even come close to this). I can't help but wonder if this is partially due to the Atkinson engine design that lies therein?

 

 

Seeing mountains is something we never get to see in Michigan - much less snow covered ones during the month of July!!

[videoarizona]

Glad you are home safe.

 

Prayers Up for mom!!

[cowpuc]

We live in West Michigan and have gotten plenty of rain this past spring but were amazed to see the amount of water that this area had also received. We have ridden the Salt Flats numerous times on both bikes and in cars (even camped a few miles out on the Salt a few times) and to date, have never seen it this wet.

 

A quick stop at the Donnor Pass rest area revealed some of these cool little catfish swimming around in the high mountain pond there. The water was ICE cold (or as my 2 year old grandson would put it - "COLD AS 'LASKA") and it was interesting that those catfish were as active as they were!

[Kretz]

This Lincoln Monument at a rest area along I-80 stands as a wonderful testimony to Old Abe and his love of freedom! What a beautiful country we have inherited from those who came before us!

 

Us too Puc, us too! But up here in many places, it's being ruined by minority groups who campaign & agitate to have history erased, or rewritten. Statues of former prominent leaders & innovators removed because they wouldn't "fit in" with today's liberal thinking! Roads & streets renamed because they are named after someone who now would be considered "right wing". People just don't seem to realise that times were different back then & but want to apply today's snowflake standards. So sad to see it happening.

[Patch]

Well I for one did not notice you weren't here, on the forum that is.

Just like I haven't noticed that Cha hasn't written in, in a week come tomorrow...

 

Hope your Mom recovers soon!

[VentureFar]

You know my prayers are with you my brother.

VentureFar...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cowpuc]

Well I for one did not notice you weren't here, on the forum that is.

Just like I haven't noticed that Cha hasn't written in, in a week come tomorrow...

 

Hope your Mom recovers soon!

 

That Cha is probably out doing what we should all be doing,, taking full advantage of this White Wash Free summer spectacular of a summer we are having = out CTFW

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers on my mom's behalf Patch - they are greatly appreciated!!

 

You know my prayers are with you my brother.

VentureFar...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I knew that my brother,, I knew that = those prayers are working so please keep coming!! Mom is doing a little better each day and continues in Rehab. As of today, looks like only a couple small med adjustments and then continuing in rehab mode for a while. Always good to hear from you Neal,, hope your summer is going super!! Love ya!

[WRIDR]

Keep Mom laughing, Pucster.

 

Nothin' beats a Stroke-like illness better than Humor. Based on personal experience, when our own Dad had his first Stroke.

 

He let loose with a Ripper that was almost the equivalent of a Lighthouse Foghorn, just as the Nurse was walking past the end of his bed, and Yours Truly without thinking, uttered something like: "Geeze Dad, you blew her cap off!"

 

You had to be there, but... The Nurse laughed, Dad laughed (for the first time), and pretty much everybody else in the Room broke up too.

 

We were kinda embarrassed by the thoughtless outburst, but damned if he didn't noticeably brighten up, and you could see an immediate improvement.

 

That was The Turning Point, so we quickly got over it.~

 

Warmest regards, WRIDR

[cowpuc]

Keep Mom laughing, Pucster.

 

Nothin' beats a Stroke-like illness better than Humor. Based on personal experience, when our own Dad had his first Stroke.

 

He let loose with a Ripper that was almost the equivalent of a Lighthouse Foghorn, just as the Nurse was walking past the end of his bed, and Yours Truly without thinking, uttered something like: "Geeze Dad, you blew her cap off!"

 

You had to be there, but... The Nurse laughed, Dad laughed (for the first time), and pretty much everybody else in the Room broke up too.

 

We were kinda embarrassed by the thoughtless outburst, but damned if he didn't noticeably brighten up, and you could see an immediate improvement.

 

That was The Turning Point, so we quickly got over it.~

 

Warmest regards, WRIDR

 

We may very well be related brother!! If so, it is DEFINITELY thru your fathers side of the fam :rotfl:

 

THANK YOU for the spot on advice!!

[cowpuc]

We have always enjoyed making new friends in our travels. As my sons and I were traveling up into the Sierra Nevada's of California to a piece of property that one of the boys purchased for family fun (we were headed out for some father/son guy time of target practicing) and ran across a yard sale where I noticed a meat smoker at the yard sale. Of course, we stopped!! The star of this little video (man selling the smoker) and I hit it off HUGELY!! Turns out, Les (the star) is one of our nations finest (a Navy Vet who served during the Vietnam War, a deeply patriotic person and a man of great faith. THANK YOU again my brother for your service to God and Country!! YOU are one amazing person!! Also,, THANK YOU for the great deal on the smoker - it will come in real handy for years to come!!

 

[cowpuc]

During the process of my sons (one who has earned the nickname now of "Paul Bunyan" for the way he tosses trees around) chainsawing our way to the top of the property I noticed several times that erosion had taken its toll on the long gravel drive leading up the top of the mountain where the property line ends. On the return trip back down the mountain to the gorgeous spot that we would spend the rest of the day shooting, the driveway gave way and the truck started its descent into the canyon below us!! Thankfully a tree was there to catch us!! Quick thinking along with some hard work, a huge tree, cables, a farm jack and a motorcycle tie down that assisted my sons in rescuing us so we didn't have to spend the night in survival mode!!

 

[Kretz]

Puc you're a star! You really are!

But you weren't shootin' guns in Commiefornia I hope..... isn't that some kind of capital crime in those parts? LOL Keep the faith & keep on truckin' brother!

[cowpuc]

Puc you're a star! You really are!

But you weren't shootin' guns in Commiefornia I hope..... isn't that some kind of capital crime in those parts? LOL Keep the faith & keep on truckin' brother!

 

Oh yeah,,, I'm a star all right,,, a very dim one of the sort that twinkles on and off in the night sky amoungst all those bright shiny ones in a night sky full of shiners but a star none the less ! Thanks for the :bighug:Kretzy!

Speaking of stars,,, yeppers,, old Pucster and company did indeed invade Commieland with all sorts of amazing (but 100% CommieFornia approved) shooters and we did manage to get the folks who wear the Star called on us for tossing lead. They were just checking up on us though to ensure we were valid. Come to find out, even in that far off land where high cap magazines are a no no, the 2nd Amendment of our great Constitutional Republic still stands firm. Being from a State where the sounds and smells of tossing lead is a daily occurrence on the Federal and State properties that "we the people" still own and have claim to, I think more of the silence in the Sierra Nevada's needs to be broken by the beautiful sounds of 22lr's, 9mm's, 45's (both long colts and acp's) and the mighty 308's flowing gracefully toward their targets as soon to be seen in upcoming Puc Video's ..

[cowpuc]

Well,, ammo casings are not exactly made of gold by they do have a golden look to them and they are a treasure to a geezer going shooting with his son's!! Speaking of treasures, make sure you check out the Humming Birds at the end of this video. We have Humming Birds back in Michigan but NOTHING even close to the size of these creatures = they were HUGE!!

 

[cowpuc]

Hero's,, that's what them boys of mine are = HERO's!! I have spent my share of overnighters in the woods because of being stranded or lost (even had to hike over 20 miles at night once in the Paiute Mountains due to a KTM 400 tossing its counterbalance shaft) but that was back when I was a youngen. Thankfully, this part of our adventure ended with us escaping what could have been a disaster. Those California Mountain canyons are deep and can swallow a vehicle with out so much as a burp,, not this time though,, not this time!!

 

[Condor]

OK, I've been four wheelin' in some pretty ugly back country areas, and I'm having trouble figurine out just what they were doing with that come-along attached to the front of that truck??? And... what the 'H' they were doing to get it stuck off the trail to begin with?? Now Puc was that your rig or were you just out making friends again... :-)

[cowpuc]

OK, I've been four wheelin' in some pretty ugly back country areas, and I'm having trouble figurine out just what they were doing with that come-along attached to the front of that truck??? And... what the 'H' they were doing to get it stuck off the trail to begin with?? Now Puc was that your rig or were you just out making friends again... :-)

 

It was my Son-In-Laws rig up on his property in the Sierra Nevada's. The "driveway" going up to the top of the mountain/south border of his land had suffered a lot of erosion and wind damage over the winter/spring months but he still wanted me to see the view from the top so off we went = cutting downed trees and working our way up to there closer to Heaven.. The driveway erosion gave out on that way down and thats how we slid in.. Thats actually not a come-along brother but a "Farm Jack". The boys attached it to the push bar on the front of the truck with cables and attached the cables to a big tree at an angle to try and give the front end a fighting chance of not sliding any farther into the canyon before backing it out.. It all worked great and the old man didnt have to spend a night in the mountains living off burnt squirrel and fighting those youngens for the water supply

[cowpuc]

This little pump action WRF 22 reminded me a lot of the shooting gallery 22's of a time long gone bye. Although it was stamped "1890" it's action worked flawlessly after I figured out I had to eject the fired round in its chamber. It was also still very accurate and would still be a good hunting rifle in my opinion although I am not sure how available the Ammo is for such a relic. A very cool little shooter for sure and a real pleasure to shoot!

 

[cowpuc]

Getting to shoot the Springfield SOCOM 16 (Garand/M-14) was also a ton of fun!! Styled after the M1 Garand and chambered in 7.62 Nato, this treasure of a shooting machine was amazing in both its accuracy and its function. The SOCOM comes ported in stock OEM form and it's porting is remarkably functional in its ability to keep this shooter from climbing during rapid fire. All one has to do to stay on target while shooting a fast semi-auto shoot with this one is focus on correcting its creep to the right (at least that was my experience).. What a fun day!!

 

[cowpuc]

We have belonged to a family oriented motorcycle club named VentureRider.org now for many years. Having met some of the most awesome, friendliest lop eared varmints in the world thru our club, I thought christening Trooper into the club at some of America's most gorgeous (pun intended) touring areas known to man, The Flaming Gorge, would be excellent - so we did! A special thanks to the founder of our club = "Freebird", for his dedication to making the club what is today! I also pay homage to our local Hyundai dealership and the Sales Manager there who provided Trooper with his awesome nameplate. Another special thanks to Robb (Sales Manager) and the other staff at Betten Baker Hyundai for going out of their way to provide such amazing service to their customers in this episode!!