cowpuc

RATSSSSSS!! I dont think you were in town anyway BUT,,, still,,, RATSSSSSSS!! Indeed,, THAT is a GORGEOUS area to tour VAz,, just beautiful!! Sayy,, speaking of living in that area,, you ever run across any Road Runners or Diamond Backs? We looked and looked but could find neither.. Interesting thing, one of the Park Rangers at Saguaro got telling me about how the Road Runners LOVE to kill and eat snakes (wish I would have filmed his rendition of how the Road Runner makes the kill - it was HILARIOUS!!).. Never ever did know that!! You EVER get a chance to :photographing::photographing: either or both of those varmints,, pics/video there of would be greatly appreciated.. Kind of sorta planning to do more hunting for both of em next time we pass thru your area!! Get Out And Ride brother!! Puc

,,, just have your 1st husband remind you to set the pie's down before you commence with any public practice huggin and, legally speaking, you should be fine Mama.. Of course,,, once we all gather on Don and Eileen's private property in Ohio for the actual event, huggin w/ pies in hand would not be an issue .. King Hugger Puc

FINALLY!! The Tunnel Of Trees color tour!! I know this particular video is longer than you probably prefer cause that new little grandson of ours will be howling for food well before it's over T.C. BUT,, you know your dad,, once I find what I am looking for, I just can't stop rollin film!!! I had forgotten how similar to Skaggs Spring Rd. out on the west coast of California (got another good video of that posted on YouTube too T.C. - let me know if you need a link) that Michigan's 119 becomes here in The Tunnel Of Tree's. Like Skaggs, this gorgeous trail becomes almost like a bicycle path thru the wilderness in spots as it follows some of Michigan's prettiest tree covered ridges along the lake shore. Just breath takingly beautiful!

Tip and I looked closely at the smaller Toyota Pick-up called the Tacoma for our new found touring needs before we discovered the camping capabilities of the new Ioniq Hybrid. I was amazed at how well those things (Toyota Trucks) hold their value and how much in demand they are!! Toyota HAS to be one of the top trucks in demand for a reason - definitely quality stuff IMHO. We bought a GMC StarCraft conversion van back in '84 that had Mexican switches in it and had a TON of issues with the electrics therein (put a BUNCH of new key switches in the thang) and got nothing but grief from the GM dealership - kept blaming the Mexicans - felt like I was caught between a rock and a hard place with no where to turn.. I never really cared for cross bred anything since then and have always preferred as close to 100% pedigree as possible since then so I was dealing with 1 manufacturer when everyday issues BUT,, I am sure today's vehicle world is different as far as those types of scape goatings go. GORGEOUS truck there Bossman:thumbsup:,,, tell that Eileen CONGRATS for us:thumbsup:!!!

Dont see no one jumpin in here so,,, what da heck,,, even though I aint never owned one of those newer versioned, fancy shmancy 2nd Gen RSV's,, thought maybe I would a little and share some opinionation with ya Rodney... As you know,, I am one of those pesky old school 1st Genners,,, I have always used Progressives for front spring replacement but some of that is due to the limited selection of springs for such (ANYTHING was better than those OEM Ink Pen springs though).. That said, having the much newer scoot,, I believe your selection of springs, including actual spring rate selections, is far superior.. If memory serves me correctly,, I think my good friend and partner in Raggy ( @ragtop69gs ) found "Sonic" springs to fit his needs best of all. I also believe that even Race Tech makes a variety spring rates for your front springs.. What ever you chose, name brand or weight,, if those springs in your RSV are OEM and Mom Yam is still using Bic Ink Pin as a supplier - anything will be better than whats in there . Fork seals are another matter though in my experience. I actually like and perfer OEM seals. When ya take er down, dont forget to steal one of your wifes nylons and lightly run it up and down the fork tubes (after cleaning them so they are nice and dry) in search of any small snags.. It dont take much to ruin a new seal. Also take a close look at the fork bushings,, I would replace them while there just cause I am a known maniac or something when it comes to wear on those bushings.. I have found that 12.5 weight Bel Ray fork oil works for me best when tossed in with new Progressives - gives a perfect ride for 2 up, fully loaded and no air BUT - thats 1st Gen .. I also use spray brake cleaner/carb cleaner to clean Tweeks fork legs but, there again,, I aint never been one to actually worry about what the stuff may or may not be doing to the clear coat on the fork legs. I am almost sure that it has no effect but no promises,, might wanna test a spot first. I will say this though,, I BATHE the legs/calipers down there when working on brakes cause any form of road oil (or fork oil in your case) on the brake pads is a major no no IMHO.. If that fork oil has gotten on those pads ya may as well plan on ordering new pads for the project too,,,,,,, I would anyway probably cause I really like good stoppin,,,, almost as much as the amazing performance of these V-4's.. Good to hear your getting back at it my friend!! Hope this is a sign that your knee is feeling better? All the best on the refirb project!! By the way,,, I a few times in chat too... Sure do miss DanL',, that rascal sure could keep things alive out there in VR chat alllll night long I tell ya!! Good to hear from ya! Puc

Located in two locations (east and west sides - this is in the West Park) on the outskirts of Tucson (those Arizonians have a strange way of pronouncing their words, at this point in our travels we still had not found out how to properly pronounce the name of the amazing cactus that stands guard over the lonely desert in which it thrives that we had searched all over the west for (we did find out that Tuc Son is pronounced Two Sss On though) but were nearing the point in our travels of learning how to pronounce this amazing plants name. While we had seen numerous Saguaros down in Organ Pipe Cactus N.P., they were no where near as numerous as they are here in this gorgeous park of their own. WOWZY WOW WOW WOW Trooper,, we DEFINITELY are NOT in Kansas!!

Awe,, THANK YOU @Skeeter and right back at you brother!!

Michigan's, world famous, west coast "Tunnel Of Tree's" begins!! Good grief it feels so good to be back to this place of enchantment!! If you have never been here and would like to see a more indepth version video (longer) of what lies beyond the signage and immediate area of what is shown in this short vid (cant judge a video by it's cover), you may find the next installment of this series (P22) enjoyable to view!! I KNOW T.C. and her sister T.O.T.R. (pronounced "todder" = her earned biker name stands for Tunnel Of Trees Rider ) will both LOVE that one!!

The colors on north bound 119 about 10 miles south of the notorious "Tunnel Of Tree's" sign and just outside of Harbor Springs Michigan were really starting to pop!! For anyone not familiar with Michigan's Circle Tour and, more specifically, scenic routes along our west coast (FYI - Michigan has it's very own west coast along her shark free/salt free, fresh water ocean), this particular area is nothing short of spectacular at any time of year!!! Get Out And Ride!!!

I wont say nuttin cause I am the most compassionate club member on VR and the last thing I would ever do is cause one of my friends/brothers to come down with a really nasty case of the bad days and be it far from me that I should ever be guilty of but I will remind everyone that everyone knows who the holds the title for King Of Huggers in the club. A top honor of all honors for sure!!!! FlyinFool makes the best rum balls and controls the weather, VAz takes the best pictures, YamaMama has the best whip action, Squidly and Lonna are the most helpful, Freebird is the best boss, Jonas has the best accent and shares as top "We the man", VentureFar is my brot her and defininitly a far rider at heart, MarCarl and Bum has the largest word storage for instant release and stretch the yarn the tightest, BarryCuda and his brother are awesome people to hang out with, Dragonrider is the king of getting help for sick kids, The Wiz can take over your computer and fix it from anywhere in the world, PrairieHammer has the final say on 1st Gen problem fixin, CarbonOne has always got your back, BikerJohn is one awesome Texas Hero, Bongo holds the best VR Class Room TV electrical classroom, Tooch knows his military history, when Aussie Annie says "Thats Not A Knife" it sounds really cool, Jakester and I LOVE the Sturgis Rally, Dogman speaks dog language and understands it too, Drews LOVES Puc's Hot Dogs and Hot Dog parties, Riv and I share in the Pied Piper of Used Bikes award and he makes em run, Condor loves BananaNut ice cream and Big Tom loves all ice cream no matter of flavor, Stang needs to NEVER forget his Epi pen ever ever again and scare us all!!, DragonSlayer is the real superman, Randy and Linda are the sweetest people ever, Raggie and Jeannie have the best Rally breakfasts, EagleEye knows how to pick out a good dual sport bike, Orlin has the COOLEST campground when its not an actual river, Readys wife makes the best tamales (still to be determined - gotta gut feeling that its true though), Bubber and gang up there have pine trees that grow pigs instead of pine cones, MiCarl knows his bike repair, Nancy knows her leather, that diamond cut guy knows how to make diamonds magically appear, and on and on BUT,,, we ALL also KNOW that I,, ME,, YOURS TRULY is and for ever will be the King of the VR lady huggers!!!

Our dogged determination to lift our daughter's spirits after seeing her spend hours in the struggle of childbearing by locating some of Michigan's fall color's that she has always loved is really beginning to pay off! In this video we are heading west from Mackinaw City toward a well known fall color hot spot known as "The Tunnel Of Tree's" that is located right on the Lake Michigan shoreline at the tip of Michigan's lower peninsula. We are DEFINITELY in business here T.C.!!

That may be a tall order there Flyinfool but knowing you, with the ice in your veins and the raw determination you have to share the nature of that Ice Style (life style?), you will continue on in the pursuit,, especially now that you are well beyond freezing and already into the +40's in the development thereof. Diabolical,,, INDEED, but with a truly remarkable spin to the shear naughtiness thereof.. :witch_brew::stirthepot::snow2::snow2::snow2:

Yeppers,, I hear ya brother! This latest phase of life definitely has it's interesting outcomes.. Concerning those palms, I look forward to seeing my left one again (perhaps next spring) as it is still waiting patiently for its turn under the knife as even a wrinkled palm is better than no palm at all I always say .. We are a mess aint we brother:missingtooth:?

Look T.C, off season Mackinaw City is still the same slower paced quiet Northern Michigan town that it was back when you were just a little skipper! Just like times of yesteryear, most of the area's tourist traps are shut down for the season BUT I get the overwhelming feeling that there still remains enough of them open that the baby boomer geezers (like your ol pappy) of today can still get into plenty of mischief!!

:scared:,,, MAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wassup!!!! :scared::scared: see your still cookin you whip crackin lop eared young lady varmint,,, :scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared: Par For The YamaMama course, thems some MIGHT FINE lookin tummy stuffers right there!! Peggy ya got my pie sniffin nose going crazy like it hasn't since @Brakepad (wassup Mike - hows the arms and truck driving working out for ya?) use to post those forum teasers about delivering those Pecan belly stuffers all over Florida.. Kinda missing the good old days around this hang out...

GOOOOOOD MORNING MACKINAW CITY!! It is amazing how good the fresh squeezed lemonade of life can actually taste once a person discovers how to actually initiate the old iconic saying that says - "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade". After getting over the initial blow of finding out that the cross country touring and tent camping off our 83 Yamaha Venture ( we have lots of YouTube video's of some of the highlights of those crazy times that a simple search for Tweeks Puc Puc would reveal if your interested) in all the lower States and parts of Canada had came to an end because of Medical Battle Fatigue (results of going to war with Cancer), it is AMAZING how good the lemonade made with our little Trooper tastes!!! While down on the Mexican border in Arizona just a couple weeks ago where Troopers Air Conditioning that very frugally runs off his Hybrid battery kept us at 68 degrees for 13 hours by using less than 1 gallon of gas, here in the cold North his Micro Motor Home sleeping quarters kept us cozy and warm all night long and both Tip and I slept like new born beagle pups stretched out in his cargo area. For many years, earning a State of Alaska sticker for our sticker covered Yamaha Venture named Tweeks (I know,, covering a motorcycle with stickers that the bike has earned is childish and shows signs of a flawed character,, this nasty habit is a true flaw in mine LOL) has been on our bucket list. I gotta admit, the more of this Trooper Lemonade we drink, the more it has a strange Alaskan aftertaste!! Now, about that Upper Michigan breakfast Pastie (when in the North,, may as well eat like a Northerner) and then forward to search for those fall colors!!

x2 GORGEOUS scoot Larry,,, that sweetheart just SCREAMSSS "Get Out And Ride!!"

Thanks for the reminder here Larry,, I greatly appreciate it!! Here ya go - read below!! INDEED VENNY,,, like you (and others like VanRiver so eloquently pointed out),, my brother is your brother and yours is mine,,, good thing we got a great big God cause that sure makes for lots of brothers Thanks to ALL for the thoughts and prayers sent - as always,, your kindness/thoughtfulness and support are HUGELY appreciated!! Freebird, as many of us on here have known for years, it is a known fact that what you stated above is the way it is and, IMHO, a big part of the reason that our bike club here remains intact, growing and a blessing to so many - God KNOWS you and others "dont take prayer lightly" and many others who aren't on the Christian path dont take caring with thoughts for a brother/sister in need lightly either. THANK YOU for standing firmly on that foundation Don and making VR one place of only a few that a clubber in need can come to, speak his/her part and get such outstanding support!! The surgery went very well! The cancer had eaten a cavern (replacing bone marrow/bone) about 3 inches in length starting at the collar right below that knob on the top of the femur and working downwardly. The Oncologist Surgeon had already "scorched" the area with radiation but there was still bone that was cancerous that had to be ground out before the rod could be placed - nasty stuff this cancer nonsense is. The purpose of the rod is for SUPPORT only. If ya think about the bone as tooth enamel and think about cancer as tooth decay/cavity (how the Doc explained it to our group) its easy to understand how the bone wall becomes so thin it literally can snap in just a normal movement of the leg (a disaster waiting to happen) = this would create HUGE issues (goes without saying). Also, as we all know,, any time we get sick there is a depletion of energy in any healing. One of my own personal issues surrounding my much lesser degree of cancer than my brothers (still in remission here) is what I have been calling "battle fatigue" (I look at dealing with the stuff like a personal "war zone" = my brothers doctor agreed and LOVED my analogy) - something that can be life changing (in my personal case - the ONLY reason we are no longer touring on a scoot - random tiredness ). Battle fatigue is the very reason why there was sooo much concern here about this surgeory of my brothers - he has been thru sooo much in dealing with this stuff over the last 5 years that the Doctors were just deeply concerned with his body/systems giving up. His lungs have a few small tumor's (how can it seem to have stopped spreading in the original area - kidney's - then pop up in the lungs (making it a secondary cancer there and not - medically speaking - lung cancer, and then pop up down in his leg?? Makes NO sense but hey,, no joke my friends, THAT is exactly what Dougs cancer did!!). When I walked into the hospital and found my little brother he was sitting in a wheel chair, slumped over from exhaustion and looking really really rough:(.. I knealt down, kissed his forehead, held his hand and whispered a soft prayer of hope into his ear. After we talked for a while about what was coming toward him with the surgery. In tears,, I told him I was sorry for drawing that definitive line down the center of our bed that he and I shared as kids (we are 3 years apart) and for always ratting him out to my Mom any time he crossed the line with a foot or hand (usually turning our pre-sleep into a major fight - man that kid was a pain in the neck when he was little) .. The started.. After a good cry,, the talk turned to his 95 Gold Wing - he had loaned it out to a friend to "keep it churning" and his buddy dropped it (low side - about 45 mph - no injuries but apparently messed up a valve cover and stuff from what I understand) last week! Because of two brothers and their shared love for , by the time they strolled him into pre-op, his head was no longer hanging down in a slump. My sister in law kept thanking me over and over for being there !! We got to all go into pre-op just before surgery for some family prayer time (I come from a large family of which I am definitely the black sheep) = 5 girls/2 boys - so this was no easy task!! All the thoughts and prayers here were/appreciated by ALL of my family and I joined all of you as we circled my brother and I got to lead in prayer for my little brothers battle with this stuff!! Then the Surgeon came in (with Staff), did a quick double check on medical stuff and then, personally relead us all in another time of prayer. Of course it will be a while before Doug can put weight on the repair and, there is concern with blood clotting problems associated with the rod putting pressure on bone marrow and the there is the ongoing battle cancer BUT,, and this is HUGE,, I still got my little brother to hassle (as soon as he able to stand up again I am gonna renig on my taking back of the drawing the line down our shared bed when we were kids comment) cause all went REALLY REALLY well as far as they can tell at this time!! No denying it,,, and this takes nothing away from the skills of those amazing Dr's,,,,, IMHO, there is really good reason for Don (and all of us) not to take our thoughts and prayers for each other lightly - I KNOW I sure dont!!! THANK YOU again for all your outreach on my little bothers behalf!! Puc

Just talking with my mom here, getting the scoop on my little brother. Like his big brother, he got dealt the hand of Cancer a couple years ago too and it initially cost him a kidney. Unfortunately, his initial surg didnt come out as well as mine seems to have as the stuff spread around some. Latest news is they found a walnut size spot in a femur and blood spots in his lungs = LOTS of extreme pain and living on the morphine/fentynal (spent over a year on the stuff too,, good pain killer but hard on the body) has taken its toll. The docs finally decided here that he has gained enough umphh that he may be able to tolerate putting in supportive rods and plates into his upper leg so the femur dont snap and he may be able to get back on his feet. We are on our way to pick up mom and then head to G.R. to hug and pray for my bro - pre surgery - because,,, well because any surgery anytime has its possibility of not good turn outs - hate to sound gruesome but you know me,, always about the truth. Doug (my brother) is a Christian and loves the Lord. His wife does too.. So does my Mom and Tip and me too... Tell ya that so you know hoThanw to pray and/or what type of good ole positive thoughts to send his way if possible... ALL support appreciated!! Thanks Puc

,, ,, dog gone it ya lop eared hard core cheese headed frost bitten varmint - ya aint gotta encourage him.. ,,, :lightbulb:You know Jeff,, I was thinkin (ahh ohh),,, with this new rule concerning Pot up there in Kanuckian land and knowing you have been working hard on the high temp white wash that you obviously are now very close to having perfected.. I was wondering what was gonna happen when that high temp stuff falls thru the smoke haze hovering over our Northern neighbors. Will the result be some new form of sellable "Summer Sloshage" (don't know how to put one of those little trade mark signs on that term but I think I better find out = I honestly think it may fly and become a vital part of our little money maker that I invested so strongly in) that will easily replace the standard Snow Cones up there? Maybe our Summer Sloshage will be become one of America's greatest exports as a main ingredient to those newly bonded Kanuckian cups oh white wash!! Just please keep the stuff on your side of the lake where people Ready can enjoy it for a while yet will ya? We still got leafs to fall and picked picked up before we change over to snow blowers and the like ya lop eared ice in the veins varmint!!

Speaking of colors,, nothing is prettier or more soothing than the Mackinaw Bridge at night. GORGEOUS!! T.C. may remember playing up here at the bridge in the dead of winter or the 6 of us doing the "Bridge Walk" (shutting down the bridge and walking across it's 5 mile span is a crazy thing we Michiganders do every Labor Day) as a family!! Of course, she will definitely remember crossing our bridge many times on our motorcycle as we headed west for a few weeks of touring fun (for a Dad and his daughter - going up and around is always far more fun than riding down and under thru Chicago to head that way - and camping up there in our tent was never anything short of amazing). The Might Mack has got some great memories for our family woven between those uprights!!

57.79 MPG!! Trooper!! You are suppose to be the most frugal production car in the world but the reality of owning, driving and enjoying you is still mind boggling!! What an INCREDIBLE piece of wonderful touring buddy you have become!! Not long ago I was reading on one of Troopers "Hyundai Ioniq Forums" about the on going question of how real his factory stated fuel economy actually is and if what is stated is factual, how is it even possible. The factory sticker states 59 hwy and 57 city giving an average of 58 mpg. I have already experienced some amazing distances above 600 miles on Troops tiny little 10 gallon tank after running highway speeds for hours at a time while doing one of our other YouTube video series (western tour) so I knew he was fully capable BUT the proof that his actual readings and calculations even when effected by disadvantages that should really effect the final numbers (like the incorrect math we did in this video) still catch me off guard. In this video it took 8.6 gallons of fuel for 497 miles of a very hard core/good example of variety of driving experience. For one thing, one must remember that while traveling the State of Michigan northernly like we are doing, you are basically traveling up hill continually - this is visually provable by watching Troopers "Economy Gauge" (it reminds a LOT of using a column mounted Vacuum Gauge of yesteryear) and realizing that his eco gauge was actually continually running 1 or 2 lines higher than normal on this trip - of course,, I suppose some sea level research on google of the towns we mentioned would also show it too. Another thing is that the highway mileage part of these miles were spun out by Tippy (who our kids still refer to as "Corilla Devilla" due to her heavy right foot - made you spit out your coffee didnt I T.C.!! LOL) on an interstate journey from our home in Muskegon Michigan to Augusta Michigan (+200 miles) on this tank that I had filled and set the trip meter just before she left). Both these factors are HUGE disadvantages when thinking Hybrid MPG. Another factor to consider here is the ambient tempts that Trooper was being ran in, low 40's with some low 50's. Troop LOVES higher tempts and FLAT ground and can easily maintain +60 MPG's therein.. While we did do a quick math summation in the car here and came up with 52 mpg,, we were way off!! You do the math and see what you find!! In the end, the actual factual MPG out of this precious little Ioniq named Trooper came out to 57.79 mpg FACTUAL AND ACTUAL!! Hyundai engineers - YOU are amazing!!!

De (the) Zwaan (Swan) of Elk Rapids Michigan!! Get it T.C.? Get it? Why of COURSE you do!! LOL Made ya SMILE didn't I!!

YEEEE HAWWWW = BINGO!!! Elk Rapids Michigan, north east of T.C. is REALLY looking good!! It is getting late in the day and we are losing the sunshine oh sweet daughter of mine BUT, you can clearly see that once again, that favorite saying of your dad's that he raised you by that goes - "THINGS ALWAYS LOOK BETTER IN THE MORNING" - will probably prove true once again !! Hey,, who loves ya? Why your old Dad Pad that's who (and Mommy too!!)!

,,, SEDONA,,,,, WE LOVE SEDONA ... Sailor,, hope you folks have a FANTASTIC trip playing around and touring that area!!! NOTHING BUT THE BEST BROTHER!!