cowpuc

OUTSTANDING!! YOU GO GIRL!!

You guys are right on target, taking personal responsibility seems to be an old fashion idea.. It is sad reading stuff like Snag but you are obviously not alone this mess!! Took one of the kids in for an orthodontic appointment years back. Lady pulls in next to me. She and her teenage son had been arguing in her car, he was mad and kicked his door open - banged into my car and put a 2 foot long dent in my back fender - hit so hard it woke me up as I was sleeping in the drivers seat. They started to walk away as if no problem. I stepped out of my car, stood there talking as I called the police to get a report written for Insurance.. Central Dispatch said Police only responds to personal injuries. Told me to just get her info and the insurance companies would have to be happy with that.. Got her info, turned it in, found out she had no insurance. My insurance company told me I needed to contact Police and explain she had not insurance and they needed a report from them. Recontacted Police, they looked at me like I was crazy. Ended up fixing car on my own.. MADNESS I TELL YA, SHEAR MADNESS!!

Our youngest is getting hitched early in June, Tip wont be able to make it as the girls are coming to prep for the shindig. Tippy has given Tweeks and I the to escape (get out from under her feet:scared:) and head that way. I took Tips smirk to mean she meant it so I am signed up!! Now, last year for Venture West Lone Eagle had some Indian friends do the sundance for all of us headed that way - it worked perfect!! If any of you Buckeye's are friends with any Native Americans down there PLEASE ask them to for us!! YammerDan, I know you got a little Pow Wow in ya,, set that fried chicken down and get to :dancefool:ing will ya!! is it may yet?

WOW,, that one is nasty.. Sorry ya had to drive all that way to find out Cha. Its a shame when even a dealer cant tell it like it is.. Be cool if someone could get it for a few hundred bucks, get her back together and drain the rest of its life out of it though.. Just for kicks Cha, make sure you see this thread I started for you and click on the bottom link there - I know that is another long distance ride (Lubbock) but, if that thing really truly does only have 5k on it and he is the original owner so he KNOWS the mileage is accurate,, could be interesting.. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/links-to-classifieds-craigslist-ebay-sales-etc-/96731-thread-dedicated-chaharly-hope-ya-heal-faster-knowing-care.html

Holy Wisconsin White Wash Machine Gone Bizerrrkk Batman:scared:!!! 2 meters of snow? I didnt listen real well when we studied the meterick system back in High School but, to my recollection,, that calculates out to over 6 feet of that nasty stuff in one shot!!! Indeed Fri, waiting till summer sounds like a plan!! I think my old beater snowblower had a stroke when I showed it some pics of that disaster! Thoughts and prayers Up for the folks up in Kitmat!!

Great to have ya along on the journey Fool and thanks for the compliment!! I am so glad that you noticed I didn't need anymore Wisconsin White Washing type of encouragement to keep the writing fires lit.. Lets make a deal, you keep the disconnect for that apocalyptic machine of yours in the OFF position until December of 2015, I will trust your commitment to do so and I will wrap this thing up by March 1st and we can all go make a whole new story to write about next year!!!

They have no idea do they Coff :big-grin-emoticon::dancefool: Jump right in there and tell it like it is sonshine!! It would be interesting to see how closely our stories line up!!

With unforgettable pictures loaded into our camera's memory and even more extraordinary shots having found their way into our souls, we found our hearts churning for a placed called The Dalles. We rode up 97, gassed up in a place known as Madras, stayed on 97 up to a road, 197 is its name, that appeared to head strait north toward the Columbia River which separates the state of Oregon from the state of Washington.. It's along this mighty river that someone carved out a tiny town and named it The Dalles. The ride across that north bound road became one of our favorite rides. It wasn't endlessly beautiful like some other trails we had ridden, but, it had its areas that were unprecedented in their glamour. A small cowboy town with an old bridge that hovered precariously across a canyon that sought to devour innocent passerbyes as they went about their day. Proud fields of grain waved at us as they disappeared over the crests of mountain tops while attempting to tie themselves to the clear blue sky that reached down to greet them.. Oceans of country odors filled the ever changing warm wind currents that flowed across the valleys. Mount Hood looked like a person could reach out and pull a snow cone off its vanilla ice creamed topped crown even though it was miles away. We knew we were getting close to something special. As in some kind of wonderful dream, the Columbia River appeared in a valley below us, Tip and I smiled at each other as we coasted down the hill into the little town known as The Dalles. She laughed when I asked if she thought the people of the town would find acceptance in their lives when they noticed the likes of the three of us.. I in turn chuckled when Tippy replied back, "Since leaving that note back in Red Bluff, I have been wondering what kind of retaliation surprises they may have for us at the Venture West Rally". We shall see I said, we shall see....

The tower views were down right sensational. With the pathway that had been carved into the lava mountain leading up to the tower also electrifying in its rugged beauty, making the wait to get into this area well worth the time. If you go there and the first gear on your scoot holds up from its gruesome climb, you will be rewarded with views of Mount Hood, Mount Shasta and other surrounding mountain ranges clearly visible at this one majestic location. Of course, coasting back down the very narrow roadway is icing on the cake and also a real treasure if you are into the coasting game like we are.

As we got closer to Bend Oregon, we came to a place called Lava Lands National Monument. We always purchase a National Park pass just for this type of occasion and thought it best to find out exactly what a Lava Land was.. We explored the eastern area of the park and found it amazing. One of the rangers told us about a Fire Tower overlook that offered some of the best views in the area - it was located in a different part of the park and required preregistration as the trail leading up to the overlook was very narrow and only a few vehicles at a time were allowed. The 3 of us talked about it, decided to tour it and headed across the complex to get in line. After registering, we were told we had about an hour to gobble up so we headed out to the parking lot to eat some goodies. While out there, a young couple with a new born child pulled up and parked beside Tweeks. A few folks had gathered around Tweeks and were reading her sticker story, this couple was part of that group. After the group broke up, this fine young couple told us their story. The young man was a Commander in the Military and home on leave from some deployment to the middle east. He had made it home just in time to see his child come into the world. They were taking some time together traveling before he had to return to duty. Being amazed at two older people like Tip and I out enjoying life and the couple told us that someday they hoped to do the same. We thanked them for their service to our country, told them about how fast life goes by and reminded the pair to not be in to much of a hurry to be found in our shoes. We encourage them to enjoy every minute of every day raising the gorgeous child they had been blessed with and that very very soon, the little one would be married with kids of her own and they, indeed, would find themselves CTFWing just like we were..

Eventually the mountain air warmed up enough that I could feel my fingers again. I wasted no time in packing up our belongings so Tip and I could go hunt down some road grub. While traveling north on 97, about half way between Bend and Klamath in a little town called Chamult, we noticed a group of motorcycles parked at a restaurant, one of which was clearly Tweeks younger sibling. The bikes were all set up for long distance travel and had been tugging trailers behind them.. Knowing that at least one of the bikes was a Yamaha Venture, I told Tip we should stop and surprise this group who were clearly on their way to the same rally we were headed to.. When we walked into the establishment, I noticed a group of riders all gathered around a nice platter of freshly fried eggs, I walked up to the table and told them I was Cowpuc.. They looked at each other, smiled at me like I was nuts and went back to eating their breakfast.. It suddenly dawned on me that it was possible that not all bikers in Oregon were headed to the same rally point that we were. I than explained the situation to them, they laughed. Later in the parking lot they told us they were a group of folks riding from Oklahoma who were out enjoying some CTFWing.. I invited them up to The Dalles but I got the impression that none of them were sure they wanted to follow me anywhere..

About the time I got the fire built, a real friendly Oregon mountain man and his dog showed up to warm himself at my little fire. Kieth was from the area, a lumberjack by trade. He, his dog Rambo and I listened as a Semi Tractor loaded with logs jake braked its way down the mountain behind us. They had come to the park to see if they could drag some of the trout out of the stream that flowed gallantly behind our tent. Being an ardent fisherman, I joined him in his endeavor and was surprised at the size and quantity of the trout the little stream held. Keith and Rambo were both backwoods lovers and had done a fair amount of tent camping in the Oregon mountains. Keith told me about a connection he had also had with motorcycling in years gone by and was proud to add his name to the stickers that adorned Tweeks outer coat.

After burning a bunch of daylight CTFWing around Shasta, the road led us into this place called Weed California. While playing around Weed, a friendly towns person asked what all the obvious (staring at our well packed motorcycle) buzz was about, we told him where we were headed and that we were looking for the two lane that went up into Oregon. He directed us to a road called "97" which would lead in the basic direction we were headed. With a small amount of ride time left in the day, we jumped on 97 and began the process of finding a place that would we could designate as a campground. We crossed into the land of Oregon and soon found ourselves filling Tweeks tank again in a place called Klamath Falls. Years ago, while attempting to fill my bike with gas in Oregon, I had been scolded for pumping my own gas, remembering that lesson - I waited for the attendant to come out and pump Tweeks next tank of fuel. A friendly young man soon joined us, gave me permission to pump my own fuel and than asked where we were headed. Admiring the motel Tweeks was sporting on her back, he invited us to set up the motel in his back yard for the night. After hearing about our love for tenting in the wilds, the young man informed us of Oregon's open camp rule - another whole state covered with endless camping opportunity. He also told us that the State of Oregon requires each county to supply an open camp area for CTFWers like us - NICE!! Shortly after leaving the fuel station, Tips helmet decided to go for a swim - it jumped off her head and dove head first off a bridge into a river that we were passing over. It is illegal to ride a motorcycle in Oregon with no helmet so we turned around and headed back to Klamath Falls to purchase Tip a new one. I teased Tippy about taking the half helmet that I wear, getting into Tweeks maintenance department (left saddlebag), finding a hacksaw blade and cutting my helmet in half. I told her we could each wear half of my half helmet. The plan being to each wear 1/4 of the half helmet on our foreheads. Fortunately, we found a hat that she liked at Walmart so we didn't have to enact this new prototype helmet design while CTFWing. We sat down and ate dinner, than went out and found the camping area at Klamath Falls that the State had required them to install just for us. When you are stacking cord wood while snuggled down sawing logs inside of an old Menards tent, its easy to overlook just how cold mountain regions can get at night. If left in the garage over the winter back at our home in Michigan, Tweeks will shed a few tears of anti freeze while waiting for Springs arrival. Due to this, I wasn't real alarmed to find her crying those same tears on that 15 degree morning. Tip was still busy stacking cord wood while I was out scrapping the ice off Tweeks back. I saw a grin appear between her Antelope horns as I mentioned to the ol scoot that I was gonna build us a fire in the fire ring that the County had left laying there in our camping spot.

I had just gotten back into my long distance ride position on Tweeks back, all sprawled out staring at the mountains surrounding Mount Shasta, when a friendly driver pulled up beside us and pointed at Tweeks rearward storage area.. We get lots of looks from folks sharing the road with us and I can usually tell whether they are intrigued or scared about the sight of Tweeks, this person had neither. The look on the lady drivers face was one that had a "some thing is wrong" appeal to it. I sat up and looked back just in time to see Tweeks pretty blue/silver bike cover go rolling down the highway behind us and disappear under a semi-truck. As I pulled off the side of the road, BikerJohns extension cord decided to bail out too. I picked up John's electrical cord but never did locate Tweeks cover. We stopped at Mt. Shasta to take some pictures and do some back road exploring. It was beautiful up there, the air was much cooler but refreshing in its own right.

The three of us looked pretty snazzy as we waved goodbye to our daughter and son-in-law the next morning. Tip in a new sweatshirt, Tweeks with her fresh oil change and me in my new Spider Man riding boots.. I felt like I had succeeded in my plans of providing special greetings for Dead-eye and Earth Mover upon their return home which would happen while we were gone. The two dirt bikes looked really sharp hanging in the tree and that little Crane Game was sure to be a hit.. As we headed northward out of Sacramento, Tip and I joked back and forth about what the look on their childish faces would be when they discovered what their grandpa had been up to while they were gone. During the planning process for the motorcycle rally we were headed to, a group of members from VentureRider.org had held an open discussion in a forum thread I had been eavesdropping on months earlier. These guys had made plans to meet at a motel in Red Bluff California, spend the night there and then ride up together as a group. Knowing that Tips, Tweeks and I would be riding some of the same roads this group of riders would be riding, I had made a mental note of the day and the place that they would be meeting up in this area just in case our paths would cross and we would have a chance at an early introduction. When I noticed a road sign that said "Red Bluff", I told Tip that we had to stop. We rode thru Red Bluff, asked around a little and were able to locate the local Motel where our riding buddies would show up later in the day. The girl at the counter was more than happy to see if any of the names I could remember were on her camping list for the day. Sure enough, she found them. I wrote a friendly welcome note for the gentlemen and left it with her, she laughed and agreed to make sure they would get it upon their arrival. Our next stop would be in a town called Redding. In the excitement of patting myself on the back for remembering to leave a note for my friends back in Red Bluff, both Tip and I had overlooked the fuel light blinking brightly on Tweeks dash. We were once again reminded of how expensive it can be to operate a motor vehicle in the state of California.

Later that day we stopped at a few second hand stores to see if we could find a couple additional sweat shirts to carry up to The Dalles with us. We figured it would be a little chilly riding the Northern Mountain areas and the extra warmth of a couple sweatshirts might be appreciated. Later, while scraping ice off Tweeks seat after camping near Klamuth Falls, I would find myself being thankful we had found the extra shirts. As I was standing in the store listening to Tip tell me about how much warmer the thicker shirt would be than the thinner one she held in the other hand, I noticed in my peripheral vision something I had never seen marketed for home use. Years ago, as a child, we had a celebration in my home town of Fruitport Michigan called Fruitport Old Fashion Days. Some carnival guys (we always called them "Carni's") had discovered this little secret about our town and had developed the routine of showing up with their carnival equipment at exactly the same time we were having our home town celebration. I learned to like the Carni's and always enjoyed the rides they built in our park and also, most of the games they had for us to play. One of the games I always had fun with was a game called "The Cranes".. The object in playing Cranes was to get the cranes bucket to reach down and pick up a toy and deliver into a chute so you could take the toy home. The thoughts of those simple days of being a child and playing those cranes all rolled back when I noticed the home use Crane Game sitting there with 5 dollars marked on it. I carried the contraption up to the counter while walking behind Tippy who had an armful of more useful items.. She stacked our new riding clothes up on the counter and the lady began sorting thru the pile. As she came to the end, I laid the Crane up on the counter and told her that I would give her a dollar for it, take it home and see if it worked. If it did, my grandsons would be forever grateful to her for selling it to me for a dollar. Later that evening and after an hour or so of repairing broken wires inside the crane - I found myself playing the crane game just like I did when I was a kid.

Earth Mover stomps around in a pretty good looking pair of biker boots that have a Spider Man look to them. I always admired them, had thought about beating him up and taking his boots but that would not have worked as his feet are considerably smaller than mine. Tip was no where to be seen while we were in the store looking for shoes, she obviously trusted me with the selection of the footwear I would be seen in for the road miles we would cover together in the immediate future.. This worked in my favor. I chuckled to myself as I walked down the men's shoe isle and noticed a pair of official Spider Man riding boots setting there in just my size. I tried em on to be sure they fit, stuck em neatly in their box and went to find the oil change I had promised Tweeks.. I ran across Tip on the way over to Automotive, she smiled and commented about how quickly I had found my new shoes - Tip said she was proud of me for being willing to buy new shoes as I normally am reluctant to give up my treasured guy clothes.

The day after my daughters graduation was a big one. My grandsons had left the day before to stay with another relative for a few days so I would not get to play with them again until after Tip and I had returned from the Rally up in The Dalles Oregon. Even though I missed those two desperados immensely, it was all for the better as I had all kinds of tweeking to do on Tweeks. We also needed to head into town and purchase some supplies before we headed out. One of the things I earnestly needed was a new pair of riding boots, my old ones were really wore out and, besides that, they smelled funny. Tweeks had dropped almost a full quart of oil since that oil change back in Flag so I thought I would grab her another oil change while in town. I had checked her rear tire closely and was amazed at how well the new Metzler 880 was wearing. Usually she sheds a rear tire on the trip out and another on the trip back but this Metz was looking surprisingly good. I figured that the run up the coast to Oregon and Washington would not be problem. I jumped online and ordered a new tire for her to be shipped to my son-in-laws figuring I would replace the tire after we returned from The Dalles whether it needed it or not. I would later learn that I should have swapped tires at this point in our ride, that Metz blind sided us.

I sure hope you realize your artistic camera paintbrush is painting you right into the corner of being nominated as road captain for any future events in that area Eck!! Beautiful shots - THANKS again for letting us ride with you!!

I could smell the sweet odors of the Utah desert in your post Ut - ride on brother!! It wont be long and we will be right back out there getting revitalized too!! Ride safe! Puc

Thanks for risking your life and riding along Dodger.. I read what you wrote to Tippy and laughed a little while reading it to her,, Tip asked me to tell your wife that she thinks the men in their lives will return to normal as soon as the fever breaks (Cabin Fever).. Glad to hear you are married to a forgiving lady my friend!!

Yep, that module is a common failure. Might check the books and see if GM used that module in the 350's, if they did - go to junk yard and pull a few of em (buck a piece at our yards) - cheap way to see if thats what it is.. If that don't help and its got a lot of miles on it. Might wanna bump the motor around so the timing marks lines up, check the position of the rotor and make sure its lining up with the #1 terminal on the cap like its suppose to. Worn out timing chain/gears can cause some issues like your describing too..

Hey Craze, when I was a young whipper out terrorizing the neighborhood on my 68 DT250 I had our really sweet little ol lady that lived kitty corner to us tell me that the Bazzani pipe I had on it was way to loud.. I liked her, she always gave me and my 6 siblings cookies and stuff so I went about quieting down the expansion chamber.. The gas station job I had at the time only paid 90 cents an hour so buying actual packing material was out of the question. Did a little testing of different materials with my zippo lighter and discovered that the fiberglass insulation in my dads garage was not flammable. Took a fairly good size chunk of glass, flattened and cut it into a rectangle. Wrapped it around the baffle and slid it in.. Worked great!! I had lots of 2 stroke Motocross bikes after that thru the years and repacked many silencers and always kept a supply of the store bought tightly woven fiberglass sheets that they sell for packing but my original packing job has always been my favorite.. If I were you, I would pack those pipes with fiberglass, take the few bucks I saved on packing material and apply it toward a set of Vacuum Gauges so I could keep my carbs in sync cause keeping those carbs in sync is a must!! Would love to see a pic and maybe even hear those pipes you just got on a video!! Ride your ride! Puc

"I got to a say that I'm beginning to enjoy this!!!" Beginning? Did he say he is just beginning to enjoy this? Heck Eck, I left "beginning" wayyy back at the first picture in that other thread!! Beautiful pics - Calendar picture worthy stuff my friend!! All except for the ones with cows.. Cows are nothing but trouble!! NICE JOB!!