Well, this is decidedly unrelated to motorcycle adventures, but Stefanie felt it was worth blogging about.
We were in downtown Vancouver yesterday to go and see the HSBC Celebration of Light. We didn't actually see the show on account of dumping rain, so what makes this event post-worthy was the journey back home.
Right at this marked location:
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...in the pouring rain, we saw a homeless man curled up on a bench. He was trying to get cover from the rain, but the only thing available to him was a down sleeping bag. Anyone with more than about 10 minutes of camping experience knows that a sleeping bag like that gives him very little protection.
Although the scene was heart-wrenching, it wasn't that which made me as angry as I was. No, I was ticked at the fact that just across the water, up on a hill, there were people sitting in multi-million dollar homes. Sometimes there are several tens of thousands of dollars worth of automobiles sitting in the driveways of those homes. I am not against having things, not in the least. I am totally shocked at how a society like our own can have such drastic separation of wealth mere kilometers apart. You don't need to go to other countries to see this. It is in your own back yard.
I am mad because we don't care. If we did, people wouldn't have to take cover under sleeping bags just to try and stay dry. You wouldn't see men in wheel chairs, completely unable to support themselves, bowing their heads against the cold in those winter nights.
I don't buy into the notion that these people made choices that landed them where they are. Sure, some of them probably did and continue to do so. However, if we are to love them as Christ did, we are to not assume the worst of them. We are to help in any way we can. We aren't to make excuses for our apathy, nor are we to add provisos to John 15:12..."My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." There is nothing else there...the only thing we can do with this verse is understand how heavy it is, not how we can try and weasel our way out of it.
How did Christ love us? Well, for most of us, that is obvious. He was crucified. I'll tell you right now, I fall short of this command, so terribly short. If I am not willing to be crucified for the sake of the most wicked, unloving, unclean and hate-filled person on this planet, I have not fulfilled that commandment. How pathetic am I then, if I cannot show even the slightest sign of compassion as I walk past the poor? What does that say about me as a person when I just carry on my life as if I have higher priorities?
I could go on, and I'm sure you can add to it. Basic message: love the poor. I don't care how you do it, nor do I care when. Love them, because that is loving Christ. If you hate them and say you love God, you are a liar, just like me.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Update Extravaganza Pt. 10
Onward! We were headed for a campground called Circle Creek, just north of Cannon Beach, OR to stay for the night.
We passed this place on the way...but unfortunately we were too late to get in...would have been awesome though. We were probably nearly a kilometer away when I took this picture, if that tells you how big the hangar is.
We arrived in Circle Creek, got the tent set up and a fire going. basically a big field with fire pits...nothing special. We even got to wake up to this big thunderstorm that absolutely drenched everything. Little did we know it was to be a precursor for the rest of that day.
Tent fly open...difficult to see how wet it is, but let me assure you...it was ridiculous. Sounded like we had a tin roof over our heads.
There aren't any more pictures from here on, because we spent the rest of that day in the pouring rain. We got soaked and dried off maybe 5 or 6 times that day, and finally decided after being drenched all the way through (and I do mean all the way) to grab a hotel room in Everett, WA. We must have looked a sorry sight...making puddles in the lobby, dressed to the gills in very wet rain/motorcycle gear. Even my leather boots let water in...those were some ugly looking socks!
Either way, the lady at the desk was nice enough. She gave us a King's suite for 80 bucks! Of course at that point, I was ready to take a tarp with some twine for about that much. We were gonna try and make it all the way to Vancouver that day, but we got tired fast from the high speed, low visibility, heavy traffic and bike-unsettling construction. Oh well, it was a nice room, and we got our stuff mostly dry before we completed our journey to Vancouver.
We passed this place on the way...but unfortunately we were too late to get in...would have been awesome though. We were probably nearly a kilometer away when I took this picture, if that tells you how big the hangar is.
We arrived in Circle Creek, got the tent set up and a fire going. basically a big field with fire pits...nothing special. We even got to wake up to this big thunderstorm that absolutely drenched everything. Little did we know it was to be a precursor for the rest of that day.
Tent fly open...difficult to see how wet it is, but let me assure you...it was ridiculous. Sounded like we had a tin roof over our heads.
There aren't any more pictures from here on, because we spent the rest of that day in the pouring rain. We got soaked and dried off maybe 5 or 6 times that day, and finally decided after being drenched all the way through (and I do mean all the way) to grab a hotel room in Everett, WA. We must have looked a sorry sight...making puddles in the lobby, dressed to the gills in very wet rain/motorcycle gear. Even my leather boots let water in...those were some ugly looking socks!
Either way, the lady at the desk was nice enough. She gave us a King's suite for 80 bucks! Of course at that point, I was ready to take a tarp with some twine for about that much. We were gonna try and make it all the way to Vancouver that day, but we got tired fast from the high speed, low visibility, heavy traffic and bike-unsettling construction. Oh well, it was a nice room, and we got our stuff mostly dry before we completed our journey to Vancouver.
Update Extravaganza Pt. 9
Food update!
I was a little jealous of Stef's meal...
...but then mine came. Reminded me of the Flintstones.
Good old fashioned malt. Man, hadn't had one of these in a LONG time!
We pretty much knew as soon as we read the signs, this was the place to be eating.
I was a little jealous of Stef's meal...
...but then mine came. Reminded me of the Flintstones.
Good old fashioned malt. Man, hadn't had one of these in a LONG time!
We pretty much knew as soon as we read the signs, this was the place to be eating.
Update Extravaganza Pt. 8
I figured Furious D would kill me if I didn't put these photos up. This is a 1976 Honda CB750, modified nicely. This guy and his girl (on a new Kawasaki Versys) were headed from Abbotsford to the desert via the coast. Hope they are enjoying 110 degrees...
Notice the kickstart...that'd suck on a wet rainy day, but a cool touch too.
Notice the kickstart...that'd suck on a wet rainy day, but a cool touch too.
Update Extravaganza Pt. 7
Some obligatory coast shots in Oregon...
This sign was at a motel at a crab fishing harbor...
This sign was at a motel at a crab fishing harbor...
Monday, July 13, 2009
Update Extravaganza Pt. 6
This was a nice spot to take a break from the awesome roads. We are talking 25 mph corners one after the other, following this river for a long ways through central Oregon.
More of this spot. Really was nice, honest.
Looking down on it from the pullout on the side of the road.
The route from Park City 'till now. You've seen pictures all the way up until the coast. The route is pretty exact, so if you have questions about various locations, let us know. Feel free to zoom in and use the different views (satellite, terrain, etc) to see what we drove through.
View Larger Map
More photos to come, after I get them off of the camera. Stay tuned!
Update Extravaganza Pt. 5
Wagontire. I'm not really sure what to say about this place. It basically consisted of a gas station, a motel that looked closed down and this here super-busy international airport.
Some old equipment collecting dust and rain outside the motel. I'm gonna go ahead and guess that it is obsolete.
This was an epic road after some good Oregon twisties that took us to Diamond Lake, the camping area that was absolutely packed with mosquitoes. Seriously, they looked at our dwindling supply of 20% deet "Off" repellent and probably broke out in little mosquito laughter. Not the best camping experience we've ever had.
Obligatory epic bike shot.
Update Extravaganza Pt. 4
Some cool old tractors outside a gas stop.
And again.
This stop was also an antique store and museum. Small, but very cool stuff contained inside.
More stuff. They had a lot of stringed instruments in here that I'm sure couldn't hold a tune anymore, but they were cool anyways.
Breakfast ;) Steak Rancheros...that's steak, eggs and hash browns with salsa, sour cream and guacamole...
Update Extravaganza Pt. 3
We decided to stop here for the night after our oil change madness and some driving. As fate would have it, the food was...awesome.
Here is a shot looking out of one end of this town...
...and standing in the same spot, the other end. Yeah...it was small.
Home for the night. Not much, but at least the mosquitoes weren't bad. However, this was where we discovered that our natural, organic and decidedly hippy-ish bug repellent smelled a lot like fluoride...only worse.
This was a cool foundation for what looked like part of the old highway here. Naturally there were some questionable things spray-painted on here, but this part was pretty clean.
Update Extravaganza Pt. 2
On the road again...
This couple had a cool lookin' trailer, so we went to inspect a little more closely.
As it turns out, this 22 year old pooch (!!!) and his pal got this trailer as their own private house on the road. How cool is that!
A closer look. Those chrome bits on the front are intake and exhaust vents, allowing for air circulation inside. This was actually custom built and painted by the guy for his Goldwing, which had electrical problems a few states east. Apparently his gift to himself was a new bike, at least until his Goldwing gets fixed ;)
There's Stef, doin' a little bit of roadside maintenance. The nice fellas at the Wal-Mart auto department just outside of Boise, ID lent us a few rags, a funnel and a drain pan.
Anyone thirsty?
This couple had a cool lookin' trailer, so we went to inspect a little more closely.
As it turns out, this 22 year old pooch (!!!) and his pal got this trailer as their own private house on the road. How cool is that!
A closer look. Those chrome bits on the front are intake and exhaust vents, allowing for air circulation inside. This was actually custom built and painted by the guy for his Goldwing, which had electrical problems a few states east. Apparently his gift to himself was a new bike, at least until his Goldwing gets fixed ;)
There's Stef, doin' a little bit of roadside maintenance. The nice fellas at the Wal-Mart auto department just outside of Boise, ID lent us a few rags, a funnel and a drain pan.
Anyone thirsty?
Update Extravaganza Pt.1
Ok, I guess we should let you in on what has happened thus far with more details and more pictures. This post is the beginning of a BIG update. Merry early Christmas in July ;)
Ok, some pictures from the parade on the 4th of July in Oakley, UT:
As always, you have to have classic cars. There was a huge line of them, but nothing like Cruise Night in Three Hills....on a good day, that is.
The local Lion's Club always manages to pull out this train and get it running. I swear the only reason they have it is for the parade here...I've been seeing it for a while now.
Various rodeo queens and first attendants are always present at these events...
The rodeo was totally cool. I might have mentioned it already, but I got some awesome video of the whole thing, and if I can get on a good computer I'll load the videos onto Youtube and post them here.
Ok, some pictures from the parade on the 4th of July in Oakley, UT:
As always, you have to have classic cars. There was a huge line of them, but nothing like Cruise Night in Three Hills....on a good day, that is.
The local Lion's Club always manages to pull out this train and get it running. I swear the only reason they have it is for the parade here...I've been seeing it for a while now.
Various rodeo queens and first attendants are always present at these events...
The rodeo was totally cool. I might have mentioned it already, but I got some awesome video of the whole thing, and if I can get on a good computer I'll load the videos onto Youtube and post them here.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Made it to the Coast
So we are finally here at the beautiful West Coast and typically it's raining this morning. Well maybe more like a cloud is touching the ground and causing mist everywhere. Anyway we stayed just north of Coos Bay last night. On the way here we camped in Juntura, OR and Diamond Lake, OR. We discovered that eastern Oregon mosquitoes are even worse than Alberta mosquitoes but a guy gave us a tip that bounce sheets work better than citronella candles. We'll try that out tonight and report back on that. The trip through Oregon has been really beautiful. Lots of mountains, trees and twisty roads. Now we're heading straight up the 101 coast highway to Vancouver. We decided we didn't quite have the time to make it down to San Jose and Vancouver and make it to Oshkosh in time so our plan has been revamped once again. We've got a lot more pictures so I'll see if I can load them all. God bless everyone.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Headed for the coast!
Alright, here we go!
Leaving Boise in less than an hour for some campsite somewhere in the vicinity of Lakeview, Oregon. This all basically amounts to this statement: Mountains and scenery, here we come! Map for you:
View Larger Map
This trip has been a complete blast so far. The bikes have worked very well so far, with only Stefanie's reacting to some high altitudes. Speaking of bikes, we have names for them! Stefanie's is "Lightning" and mine is "Thunder". It might be a little cheesy, but the colors are perfect. All I need to do now is make mine louder so it lives up to its name.
Some more random facts for you folks:
Status of my reverse watch tan: really dark, and darkening.
Papa John's Pizza is incredible.
Sonic drive-in's drinks are even better.
Canada doesn't have fry sauce, and it needs it. (Here is a hint...mix catchup and mayo in even parts to make fry sauce. Add paprika or chili powder for mild spice.)
I can now solve one side of a Rubik's cube.
Finding the right torque wrench is a pain.
Speed limits down here are still quite high, even in construction zones.
"Thunder" is suffering from reduced gas mileage at such high speeds and at such heavy loads. "Lightning" is as well, but still gets better mileage.
That's about all I can think of.
Until next time!
Leaving Boise in less than an hour for some campsite somewhere in the vicinity of Lakeview, Oregon. This all basically amounts to this statement: Mountains and scenery, here we come! Map for you:
View Larger Map
This trip has been a complete blast so far. The bikes have worked very well so far, with only Stefanie's reacting to some high altitudes. Speaking of bikes, we have names for them! Stefanie's is "Lightning" and mine is "Thunder". It might be a little cheesy, but the colors are perfect. All I need to do now is make mine louder so it lives up to its name.
Some more random facts for you folks:
Status of my reverse watch tan: really dark, and darkening.
Papa John's Pizza is incredible.
Sonic drive-in's drinks are even better.
Canada doesn't have fry sauce, and it needs it. (Here is a hint...mix catchup and mayo in even parts to make fry sauce. Add paprika or chili powder for mild spice.)
I can now solve one side of a Rubik's cube.
Finding the right torque wrench is a pain.
Speed limits down here are still quite high, even in construction zones.
"Thunder" is suffering from reduced gas mileage at such high speeds and at such heavy loads. "Lightning" is as well, but still gets better mileage.
That's about all I can think of.
Until next time!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Independence Day!
Today was the 4th of July, and we were in Oakley, UT:
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There was a stellar parade (although a horse got spooked, ran into the crowd, injured a few people and broke a leg...) with lots of ridiculous floats and really sweet country accents. If you folks in Three Hills think you are country...you ain't seen nuthin'.
Later on at night was a rodeo (which yielded some awesome video, by the way), followed by a fireworks show. If the only rodeo you've ever seen was at the Cloverdale fair or the Calgary Stampede, you need to go find yourself a pro rodeo competition and see the real thing, it really is epic. Just don't do what my family does and cheer for the steer in the bulldogging event.
We are here for tonight and another after that to do some traditional Park City things, and then we are off to Boise, Idaho! From there we work our way to the California coast, and then up the coast highway back into Vancouver. This ought to give up plenty of stellar photo opportunities, so keep those eyes peeled.
That is all for now. The pictures and videos are all taking a long time to load, and I'm not keen on waiting around for them.
Be blessed!
View Larger Map
There was a stellar parade (although a horse got spooked, ran into the crowd, injured a few people and broke a leg...) with lots of ridiculous floats and really sweet country accents. If you folks in Three Hills think you are country...you ain't seen nuthin'.
Later on at night was a rodeo (which yielded some awesome video, by the way), followed by a fireworks show. If the only rodeo you've ever seen was at the Cloverdale fair or the Calgary Stampede, you need to go find yourself a pro rodeo competition and see the real thing, it really is epic. Just don't do what my family does and cheer for the steer in the bulldogging event.
We are here for tonight and another after that to do some traditional Park City things, and then we are off to Boise, Idaho! From there we work our way to the California coast, and then up the coast highway back into Vancouver. This ought to give up plenty of stellar photo opportunities, so keep those eyes peeled.
That is all for now. The pictures and videos are all taking a long time to load, and I'm not keen on waiting around for them.
Be blessed!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Food update
Just for Greg:
Oddly, we had a little pink creature try to have a go at Stef's very tender roast beef...
Oddly, we had a little pink creature try to have a go at Stef's very tender roast beef...
Park City, UT
We are here!
View Larger Map
We finally made it in to Park City last night, and are preparing for some awesome Independence Day celebrations. Pictures of this place to come...I'll wait till I have some good footage of the rodeo and parade first.
Anyways, here is a report of what happened on our way here yesterday. We stopped in a little town called `Dell`, and the pictures following here should explain it all.
The place we ate lunch at was an old schoolhouse, as you can see. The restaurant occupancy was higher than the town population...
At a gas stop in Idaho falls, I met a guy named James. At first he just asked for a light (and silly me didn`t even bring matches when we are supposed to be camping...), but then was wandering around the gas station looking for money. Been seeing a lot of people around here like that, now the unemployment is up to 9.5% in the US. After I went and got his name and introduced myself, I handed him some money, told him that it ought to get him a few good meals if he spends it right. He just stared at me in utter disbelief. People had been ignoring him for so long, I think it was a shock that I even asked his name.
What kind of a place do we live in where people, real human beings, get ignored like this? After a few seconds, the guy grabbed me and pulled me in hard and hugged me. Right there at the gas station. God bless you James, I hope you find work, but I hope you find peace also.
The rest of the trip compared to that was fairly uneventful, though we did fight a nasty headwind coming into Utah. Here we both are, in 6th gear with the throttle pinned wide open, and we still couldn't match the speed limit. Though, we were still passing everyone else, so I guess that means something.
More to come!
View Larger Map
We finally made it in to Park City last night, and are preparing for some awesome Independence Day celebrations. Pictures of this place to come...I'll wait till I have some good footage of the rodeo and parade first.
Anyways, here is a report of what happened on our way here yesterday. We stopped in a little town called `Dell`, and the pictures following here should explain it all.
The place we ate lunch at was an old schoolhouse, as you can see. The restaurant occupancy was higher than the town population...
At a gas stop in Idaho falls, I met a guy named James. At first he just asked for a light (and silly me didn`t even bring matches when we are supposed to be camping...), but then was wandering around the gas station looking for money. Been seeing a lot of people around here like that, now the unemployment is up to 9.5% in the US. After I went and got his name and introduced myself, I handed him some money, told him that it ought to get him a few good meals if he spends it right. He just stared at me in utter disbelief. People had been ignoring him for so long, I think it was a shock that I even asked his name.
What kind of a place do we live in where people, real human beings, get ignored like this? After a few seconds, the guy grabbed me and pulled me in hard and hugged me. Right there at the gas station. God bless you James, I hope you find work, but I hope you find peace also.
The rest of the trip compared to that was fairly uneventful, though we did fight a nasty headwind coming into Utah. Here we both are, in 6th gear with the throttle pinned wide open, and we still couldn't match the speed limit. Though, we were still passing everyone else, so I guess that means something.
More to come!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Before photos
One last thing to put here. Our friend Devon took some cool pictures before we left and allowed me to post them here, so I brought a few with me ;) There are some even cooler action shots if you take a gander at his flickr page.
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