Another Restored Lost Post

This post is from my 2010 trip out west on my Moto Guzzi 850-T

Back in the tent again! Sure feels good too.I'm in a campsite in Crater Lake hanging out and riding some.Went out before and upon my return I noticed one of the headlight ears ,you know,the things that the headlight is attached to the front forks with,was broken.Well,I did a fix on them in NY before I left and it lasted 7000 miles so I can't bitch too much. Anyway,I dug thru my bag of goodies and found a thin horn mounting strap and some JB Weld.I took a file and bored a hole for a screw at the back end and opened up the front hole to accept the front signal witch also holds on the headlight and manufactured a bracket to fix the damn thing using a screw and nut from the used ignition points I had in the bag and the JB epoxy.It feels solid so I'm giving it an hour to set up and heading out for a ride around the lake.

My time in Bend ,Oregon was really good.I spent some quality time with Robin and her family.Robin is my late friend Barbara's middle daughter .If you read the stuff I was writing last year about my early travels and such you'd know that Barbara and I were very close and her daughters are sort of like sisters to me so it's been good spending time with one in the flesh rather than on the internet.
We went river rafting,hiking,horseback riding,out to dinner a few times and had a great visit.I bonded really well with her husband Scott too and we are already planning to spend more time together soon if possible.I might stop in again before I head east on this trip for one or two days after doing California but I'm not sure yet so we left it up to how things work out for me in my travels.

Crater Lake is really nice.The roads are nice and there is nowhere near the amount of traffic like in Glacier Park.Well,I'm gonna get bold now and try out my bike to see if the headlight bucket stays on and maybe go for a swim in Crater Lake!
Ended up going down this trail instead of swimming and found all these rock formations.It was called Pinnacles Trail.What a great place.Met this young married couple who loved my bike.The husband had a couple bikes including an old Honda so we exchanged emails.He needs some help with it getting it going and doesn't know where to begin so I told him I'd hook him up with some people I know who do Hondas. my headlight fix seems to have worked and all is well with the bike again.

Last night at the campsite there were these young guys who were playing guitars and singing . They were pretty good and played into the night.I enjoyed it tremendously and this morning I went over and thanked them.Later they came by as I was packing up to leave and were in awe of what I was doing.The one guy had a bike and told me I was doing exactly what he wants to do so I told him about Ernie.
Ernie was this old biker I met in 1972 while hich hiking to Nova Scotia somewhere up in Quebec .He was about my age now,60's,and just wandering all over the place camping.I was totally blown away by this guy.We talked for hours about bikes and traveling.I told him of my travels up to Alaska and my bike trip across the country and he told me all about his adventures riding his BMW across Canada.I always thought about Ernie over the years and this morning I became Ernie to someone else! Funny how life works like that sometimes.
Left Crater Lake about 11AM and now I'm in Crescent City California in the redwoods camping.Oregon is behind me now after a two week stay and many great times.I think I'll go back before heading east towards home.I like Oregon.
Well,it's late in the afternoon about 5PM and I 'm getting hungry so I think I'll cook up something to eat and maybe take a swim in the Smith River which is just steps from the door of my tent.Another great place on another day! I love the road!!!
The fog rolled in and that was it for my swim.Oh well,it's cold now and there's no way I'm going in the river .Tomorrow I'm going to try to get a campsite in Jedediah Smith State Park.I wanted to stay there but they were all filled up so I'll go first thing when people depart and grab a site tomorrow I hope .This place is OK but there are no showers,and I need one bad,and it's not as secure as a state park so I'm not good with leaving my belongings while I go off and explore.
Tomorrow I'm going to call this motel I know in Ft Bragg.They have weekly rates and are cheap with the added benefit of a car port with every room!The plan is to use Ft Bragg as a home base and wander a couple hundred miles in all directions on an unloaded bike for a week.I'll be able to cook 'cause the rooms have a full kitchen and eat way better than I have been.Besides,I like Ft Bragg and want to look into moving there a little closer .I'm also exploring the possibility of going north to Canada and becoming a Canadian citizen.I'm kinda sick of the politics here and don't see it changing in my lifetime so maybe I should leave.America is a wonderful country,the people are great and the country is beautiful but politically it's retarded to put it mildly.I'm tired of being a serf serving the rich and that's the reality of life here.Robin can get Canadian citizenship real easy 'cause her mother,Barbara .was a Canadian.Her husband wants to move up there too and he's an ex Marine! We were talking about buying a bunch of land in the BC area and living communally .It might be time for me to seriously consider this.Well,who knows what lies ahead, the here and now is all I really have so I'm just gonna live it to the max.
All day long I have been wanting to paint!I think the road has unlocked my mind in that respect.The ideas are flowing out of my mind and I can almost see them on canvas,It's been a good thing for me to travel like this,I'm happy!
Saturday after checking in at the state park I went into Crescent City to get food and run errands when I spotted a car show going on.Ended up spending the whole afternoon at this show talking to guys about cars and bikes,good places to ride and that sort of thing.It was a nice break from the usual camping and hiking in the woods I've been doing.Felt good to spend time just socializing with people and looking at some cool west coast rides.

Spent Sunday in Jedediah Smith Park hiking in the Stout Grove .What a place! It's an experience that transcends all the normal things we do.These trees are old growth redwoods that are maybe 3000 years old and 325 ft tall!.The energy they give off is unbelievable , there is definitely something there that goes way beyond anything we can comprehend.I love the redwoods!

Had to move on Monday morning.The original plan about Ft Bragg and the motel didn't work out the way I planned so I was thinking of riding inland to Mt Lassen.Can't get into the motel until Sunday of next week so I'm rearranging my ride some.As I rode out of Crescent City it hit me,I have a weather forecast of sunny and high 70's to low 80's on the coast of California in August! I'd be a fool to head inland and miss this rare occurrence so my plans changed again and I headed down the coast to the wilderness area out on the Lost Coast by Petrolia.
I was planning to ride here on an unloaded bike.The road is treacherous in places and on a fully loaded bike is damn near impossible but ,what the fuck I thought and went ahead and turned off at Fernbridge heading out into no mans land.In places the road was like a ski slope with these huge depressions about a foot deep that would just appear out of nowhere and then no pavement on curves that are on the side of a 700 foot cliff with nothing but three strands of fucking barbed wire as a guard rail! I did fine! Knowing this ahead of time really helped me.We came out this way two years ago exploring for a short two hour side trip so I knew what to expect and went slow.

Now in Petrolia and it's late afternoon about 4PM.I'm figuring I'll go the distance and head back to the high way thru the Avenue Of The Giants when I see this small road called Lighthouse Road.I love lighthouses so I had to check it out .The road is paved so what the fuck and off I go.About a mile in it gets rough.Lots of pot holes and broken pavement then turns into a dirt road too narrow to turn around in so I push onward.About another mile and I get to a beach that is called Matolle Beach and on BLM land.I see a sign saying camping with an arrow and I knew I scored!
The beach here is deserted and the campsite has 15 spots with 4 of them occupied .I scoped it out and found the perfect spot with an area for my tent tucked away in this cave made out of bushes out of the wind.Set up and walked over to the self service registration thing where I discovered it cost a whopping 8 dollars a night! I'm staying here for a few days I thought as I payed for the first night.That was 3 days ago!
Just returned from a walk down the beach.It was wonderful walking along this deserted beach nude in the sunshine.Went for a swim in the fresh water that collects at the end of the river.This time of year the river doesn't flow enough to empty out into the ocean and forms sort of a lake.The water is crystal clear and about 75 degrees as opposed to the ocean at 55 degrees .I swam and soaked getting all clean for the second day in a row now.There are no showers here at this wonderful campground but we do have clean out houses and running water in the campsites that is really good to drink so swimming in the river to get clean is no problem at all as far as I'm concerned.
Met this guy this morning as I was cooking my pancakes.He was admiring my Moto Guzzi and telling me how he just sold his 02 Lemans(Moto Guzzi)to buy a sail boat.He's living aboard in Sausalito and sailing the bay but he misses his bike.Well,I can see the boat thing but I'd have to have at least one bike too!
The fog rolled in ending my nudist activities at the beach but as soon as I returned to my tent it popped back out.Today will be my last day here.The weather is changing now.The fog rolled back in again and it's cooling down some.Tomorrow I'll ride!
Well,morning came and I had me a good breakfast.As I sat there eating and drinking my coffee I was reflecting on my time in this wonderful place.What happened is that I met some really good people.It started with this biker that was just passing thru the first morning I was there.He and I were talking bikes and the road for a while and when the time came for him to leave he hands me a bud and says enjoy it and ride safe! He was gone before I could say a word.The rest of the day was nice as I took walks and a swim in the fresh water lagoon and in late afternoon I met Lucy.

Lucy is a 24 year old Chinese girl born in China, raised in Mass. and wandering the country basically doing what I'm doing only in a car. She's looking for her new path in life.We spent two full days and nights together just talking and exploring all the possibilities each of us had .It was an amazing time.She had some pot and got me to smoke some with her.This is the first time in 25 years I smoked pot mind you.It was pretty good and we sat around the fire talking until late into the night under a full moon.The relationship we developed was strictly platonic but very intense.On the second day we hiked into the wilderness area quite a ways just taking in all this incredible scenery and collecting driftwood for our campfire on our return.I cooked dinner that night and we ate as the sun set into the Pacific .It was a very enlightening experience getting to know this young woman.
This morning Lucy and I said good bye and went on our separate journeys in search of our own new paths in life. Three hours later I'm pulling out of this gas station in Garberville when I hear my name being called and it's Lucy! We said a second farewell and I blew out of town looking for a campsite and some lunch.
Now I'm in this state park.Not the best place but there is a shower and I can go into Garberville from here in 10 minutes
Garberville is a very cool place with all these new generation hippies all over the place and all these old hippies wandering about as well.They have a marijuana festival here every year where all the local growers show off their wares! I got to sample some of that the second night with Lucy when we smoked some of that bud the biker laid on me Tuesday morning.Three hits and you're gone ! Pretty potent stuff.Well,I'll probably never do it again so what the fuck,I might as well enjoy it while I'm here and it's free.
While at that BLM campsite I also met this other biker.Yesterday(Thursday) he rolled in just checking it out when he spied my bike lurking in the bushes.He hung around long enough to meet me and then was gone.It turned out he was Dutch and flew over here.Went to Texas,bought a new BMW and rode it to Key West ,Fla then up the east coast into Canada,out west,up to Prudhoe Bay Alaska!,down thru BC and the west coast .He's going to ride all the way south to Bolivia! Man,I'm meeting the strangest people on the planet! It's fucking GREAT!!!
Been in Garberville for 2 days now.I'm liking it more and more.went into the town before and just walked around.Took in two art galleries to see what's up with that business and the deeper I look the more I realize that this is something I can do for sure.Bought Celia a hot plate with a beautiful turtle on it in the one place then went to this taco stand where I was talking with this young woman behind the counter about New York City.It seems she wants to go to NYU and really loves the city so I was giving her some ideas on places that are good to live like Brooklyn.She got real excited when I brought up Brooklyn 'cause she's been hearing just what I told her.Looks like there are artists all over this place. She's an aspiring writer.Lucy was into designing jewelry and clothing as well as painting.Something is drawing me here and there's no denying it.It's the artists.Yeah,there are lots of us on the east coast but the freedom out here is way more profound than in New York.People are different out here and I feel more comfortable here than in that wasteland of Long Island that I live in.
Think I'll go walk this trail I heard about from my neighbor here in the campsite.Speaking of neighbors,he grew up 5 miles from me! We were talking about it earlier and both came to the same conclusion that this place has way more to offer than the east does.So,I'm off on another walk thru the woods to see what I can find.
The woods were great! I walked down this trail for about an hour and a half thru new growth redwoods and had the place all to myself which gave me time to think about what I am planning to do next in this life.I've pretty much decided to open up an art gallery in Ft Bragg preferably but am open to other locations as well.I've been thinking of taking on a partner or two in this venture.Over the past couple years I've become involved with some artists thru my motorcycling and we are all into the vintage bikes so I think I'll start my search for a partner there.Who knows where this will lead if anywhere but I have to explore it in depth.It's as if I'm driven just like I was to go on this trip.I think the two events are related and the trip was the beginning of the whole thing.The ideas are coming freely now.It's as if I'm being led down the path by the hand.Can't wait to get to Ft Bragg tomorrow and set up house in the motel with the kitchenette .It will be sort of like home in a new place as I look around at stores for rent and explore the possibilities .You see,I couldn't do this on vacation but now that I'm alone here my time is my own and I'm not inhibited by someone else wanting to do other things.I have a feeling this is all going to come together.My time frame is about four years.I need to build some bikes to sell,then sell my property up in the Adirondacks,then my 66 Valiant convertible and I should have about 50 grand or so to start with.If I can get one or two other people interested who have that kind of capitol then it will fly.A gallery featuring our work as artists and our work as motorcycle restorers as well as local artists work on consignment with some jewelry and clothing thrown in later on if it starts to happen.I see these places here and there but none have vintage motorcycles and that can be a real draw.There are bikers all over the fucking place and we have money,we like nice things,and we spend it as we ride!
Took another walk on the river this time.Picked up a few pieces of driftwood to burn tonight in the fire pit.A branch fell from a tree in my campsite so I took it as a sign I need fire tonight and went off to get wood.I like fire when I'm camping.It sort of mellows me out and what the hell,I still have half that bud left so I may as well get stoned while I sit by the fire alone.
Tomorrow I ride.Down the coast I go and get indoors for five days as I think and plan out my future.I miss the camp at the beach.There was a steady flow of very interesting people in that place.My time there was short but I think it's where I finally found what I've been looking for,not the actual plan but more like the freedom that it takes to come up with it.There were some very free people at that place from the bikers I met to Lucy and the musician with the dogs.He was another character looking for his future.We all seemed to come together there at the same moment in time almost as if to help each other find the way and then just disbanded and all went in different directions on our own journeys .

The weather here is cool , mid 60's and windy with abundant sunshine.Great camping weather and I'm sure it will be a good night for a fire.Tomorrow should be a repeat of today from what the little weather radio I have tells me so my ride down the coast should be a pleasant one.This tent time has been good for me too.After all that walking and talking out on the ocean it's good to collect my thoughts and write again.Guess I'll be posting this tomorrow night from the coffee shop in Ft Bragg. Too bad I don't really have any friends in San Francisco but , maybe that's for the best. Money is tight and getting tighter by the day and that place is a real sponge for money so when my time in Ft Bragg ends I'll head north and then east to Mt Lassen to check out the Volcanic National Park there then up to Oregon and north east into Idaho and on to Missoula and Cosmic Bob's again.I know,I said I wasn't going to go back and see him but I changed my mind and am going too. I know he's crazy and armed to the teeth but he's still my friend and hopefully there is still some hope for the crazy bastard ! This story needs more time to play out and besides,I need to observe him more to create Cosmic Billy.

So, there you have it . My hopes and dreams from this trip have yet to be realized but are still alive .Yes they are somewhat changed . The location is now Arizona , no art gallery is going to happen , but at some point in the near future say 2 years from now we will be heading west for good to Arizona .We can't afford California and there is just too much bullshit to deal with in that state . So, we'll visit and enjoy it while we live next door in Arizona and enjoy all the benefits of a less intrusive and parasitic government . As I head into this winter of 2019 - 2020 I'm getting my Moto Guzzi all ready for another of these trips out west.Won't be going up here to Crater Lake  but may hit Northern California .I'll be heading south to Southern California ,Arizona , and perhaps a trip across the southern US towards home.The fun is just beginning as I start to make plans and work on the bike. Next project on the bike is all new gaskets and oil seals in the motor . Gonna start buying them next week. Today I'm going to paint ! Started two paintings. One has been languishing for two years unfinished and the other I started last month up at my camp. Time to clear the deck and move forward again.

Today I Ride

It's Saturday morning and cold but clear out here in New York.It is supposed to be in the mid 40's F today so I ride. Did my work yesterday getting my old 1971 Chevy C20 up and running.Didn't take much , just had to hook up the battery after I had charged it , put air in the tires and put the current registration sticker on the windshield. Raked a bunch of leaves in the work area after pulling her out into the front of the house before the rain started . The test ride went well, no surprises , she's back in service. So I'm sitting around when the phone rings and my friend Pete calls. Haven't spoken with him in over a year. He asks if I'm interested in using my truck in a photo shoot he's doing for this ad  his customer wants  . It seems they are looking for a funky old truck to use as a back drop for this sound equipment they are selling. So, with any luck he will be here early , take a picture to show the client and I can get out on my bike and ride. I love it when free money comes my way ! All I need to do is drive my truck to some location and hang out while Pete takes pictures. Today I think  I'll be riding the Moto Guzzi .Had the BMW out the other day for a good 50 or 60 mile ride  so now it's the Moto Guzzis turn. It's looking good weather wise for the early part of next week too so I'll get to ride my two strokes some with any luck.Gotta use them all as much as I can this time of the year.Once that fucking snow starts flying they are down until the roads get washed  of salt by a good heavy rain . Sometimes this happens quickly after a snowfall sometimes not . Thanksgiving is next Thursday and I'm hoping that it's a nice day so I can ride some while the turkey cooks . Some years I get to ride right up to New Years and even past it some.Hope this year is one of those. So now I hang around and wait for it to warm up some. I'll give Pete until 11 AM before I head out to ride.One thing I never do is wait around for people . Life is just too short for that crap. Looking thru some old photo folders and found this real nice photo of the Moto Guzzi from back when I first got her in 2007

Well, I put 100,000 + miles on her since that day in January 2007 when I brought her home and she still looks good considering what I put her thru.

So now as I look towards the next riding season and the planned trip out west I'm pretty sure I'll be riding my old friend the " T"  Pete just called and will be here soon so looks like I'll be out riding sooner than I thought .
Later On
Got out on the bike for a couple hours.It was somewhat cold but I was good with it.The bike is running really good now and the more I ride it the more convinced I become that this is the bike I should go out west on  next summer.I already started to accumulate parts to get her ready.I bought a top end gasket set to take care of the oil leaks.Next I'll get new steel braided oil feed lines to the cylinder heads,breather hoses,new rear main oil seal, a new set of Dyna Coils,and other assorted things  as I can afford them.I'd like all the parts here before I start the work so I have until early April th get everything..It was a good day out there today and I really enjoyed my Moto Guzzi.

When I Was Young

This was me 51 years ago !  I was 19 years old . Crazy shit from where I'm standing now but these were the times I grew up in and this is what we did.Actually I think this is where the inner strength that it took to change my life in the mid and late 70's came from although at the time I had no idea that I was even changing . But I was , quit LSD in 1972 ,alcohol in 1975 and pot by the early 80's was wearing thin and out of my life by 1985. The only constant in my life has been motorcycling . It saved my ass more times than I can count. Everything changes when I throw a leg over that seat and fire up that motor. Problems melt away I focus and there is nothing else. It saved me from all this crap and kept me free and happy my entire adult life. Motorcycles have been my salvation  along with art !
https://edward-theilmann.pixels.com/featured/discorporated-reality-edward-theilmann.html
                                
                                              Canton Agricultural and Technical College

My arrival in Canton ,New York in September of 1968 was an eye opener. This school was all farm kids and it was like going thru a time warp back into the early 1950's! It was like they didn't know the 60's were happening . When I put on a Janis Joplin record in the student union they all wanted it turned off.Go figure!Well I did manage to find the few kids that did know what was going on and smoked grass.This one kid from Syracuse was an acid head too!
One weekend in mid October I bought this acid from this kid from Syracuse and was going to drop that night.He told me it was this stuff called STP . I had heard something about this stuff but not much so it was an unknown. He told me to just take half 'cause it's real strong shit.
Went out drinking that night and dropped the acid about 10 pm. waited 2 hours and nothing so I took the other half waited another couple hours and still nothing so I figured I got burned. Went home to my rented room and went to bed.
I have no idea when I actually got off 'cause I was sleeping when it came on and deep in my subconscious . What I can say about the first hours is that it was really strange. I didn't exist I wasn't experiencing it but there was a brightness brighter than the sun and that's all there was . I was it , it was me and everything else all at the same time. 

My first thoughts of anything happened in the morning and that was complete terror. At first I thought I had died or was completely insane. There were fish swimming around the room and the wallpaper was glowing and undulating as the windows and door moved from place to place. This went on for what seemed like hours as I lay there immobilized . Then all the faces of everyone in my life came before me and the important ones talked to me as if they were there and knew exactly what was happening. I looked over across the room at the mirror on the dresser and I saw myself all covered in thick black hair.Figured this is how I am now and reached for a comb and started combing the hair.As I combed it disappeared so I combed it away just leaving it where I thought it should be.. Finally got out of bed.Saw the door open and could see into the next room so I started to walk to the next room only to walk into the wall.There was no door to the other room !
Back in bed watching the dots of color blink on the wallpaper I started to accept the fact that I bought the farm on this trip. I had tripped lots in the year leading up to this trip and never had one like this so I must be crazy. As I lay there I sort of calmed down and

started to get into this new space my mind was in. 

An hour or so later I got up and walked around the room and wasn't as shaky and felt hungry so I decided to walk down the street to the small diner on the corner. To do this I had to walk past the county court house. Major paranoia set in as I thought everyone was looking at me and knew I was full blown bonkers.
Made it to the diner and ordered a hamburger and coke.That was the only thing I could think of . It took everything I had to do this. The waitress was a girl from school that I had seen around and kinda knew something was off with me but was cool. She brought me my food and as I bit into the burger I was hallucinating blood gushing out of it all over the place! It was very disturbing but it tasted good so I kept eating. Just then a state trooper walks in and sits down at the counter next to me. I freaked! I looked at him and he said hello then asked why I wasn't at the big keg party going on down by the river on campus. I told him I had been there but got a little drunk and needed to sober up . As I was saying this to him his sun glasses were blinking red and green like traffic signals. It was all I could do not to just start laughing but having dealt with the police so many times in the past I instinctively knew what to do and kept my mouth shut. His order came and he said good buy and don't drive.
Now finished I had to pay but I didn't know what to do with money. I saw other people going up to the register and giving this paper to the girl so I figured I'd do the same. I gave her a whole wad of money ,maybe 30 dollars for a 3 dollar bill. Lucky for me she was honest and took what the bill was and gave the rest back .As I was leaving she told

me to go home before I got hurt.
Walking down the street I saw what appeared to be midget hippies in fringed suede
jackets! They didn't exist and I ran down the street and back home. It was late Saturday afternoon now and I was a full day into this trip with no end in sight. Sunday morning I ventured out again. I was still blasted out of my mind but more comfortable with it and somewhat more able. I got something to eat and had a basic understanding of what to do with money . Walked around town some and went down by the river and sat on this bench just watching the world go by. It was kinda cool now and I was enjoying being crazy .
Hours were going by like a flash and minutes like hours . I felt like I was coming down somewhat and realized I was tripping for two days now. I also realized that if I got drunk I would be able to come down so that's what I did.
I drank a pitcher of beer at the bar I hung out at and felt better .Then the guy I bought this stuff from came in.He took one look at me and started laughing ." I told you not to do the whole thing" he said and we got drunk together in Billy's Bar in Canton , NY .
During this trip is when I first started to write. I wrote all about what was going on during that trip.It was the strangest thing,I forgot how to write and it slowly came back.I got as far as printing and that was it.To this day I still don't write in script and this was over 50 years ago ! That first journal was taken by the school after they searched my room.I had written my friend Melinda a letter about this wild trip and she wrote back about some of the acid they were taking out in the mid west where she was in school but the letter must have fallen out of my books and got dropped on the street where a nun picked it up and had the nerve to open and read it. She sent me this letter telling me I was in the clutches of the devil .I think she also informed the school. I left town the day I got her letter. Just stuck out my thumb on a cold snowy afternoon in November 1968 and headed to New York City where I caught a train to Long Island never to return to Canton Agricultural and Technical College. Nine months later I was heading west to Los Angles on my motorcycle .The journey had begun  and still continues to this day ! 

The Summer Of 1970

Looking thru some old files I found this text file I wrote years ago about my life back in 1970 .It was a crazy life but then again most of us had crazy lives back in those days.

The Summer Of 1970

  School was almost out now and Richard and I were planning a cross country trip
together with two of our friends from down the street Pat and her sister Cathy . The
girls from Ohio. Sean was also going to ride with us for part of the way on his 650
Triumph with his girlfriend. Richard had this little sports car,a Fiat and the girls were
going to take turns on the back of the bike, my little 1965 Yamaha YDS3, and the
car . George decided to fly home and we shipped our stuff along with most of our
grass in advance. Our time in LA was coming to an end and another cross country
motorcycle trip was about to begin. It was early June and we would be heading out
mid June the day after classes finished.
   As we were getting close to our departure date Richard and I built a couple secret
compartments in the frame of his Fiat to hide our dope in. Couldn't cross the country
without something to smoke we thought and what if we got hassled by the cops.
So, we made these two compartments out of metal electrical junction boxes and
sprayed some undercoat on them and threw dirt all over them before the stuff dried
and you couldn't tell they were there. We had enough room for about 4 oz of pot
which was way more than we needed.Got the bike running well, Tuned it all up and
fixed all the small problems that were left over from it being run over and now we
were ready.
   Sean couldn't leave when we were so we made plans to meet him in Colorado
back at Peacefull Valley. The time had finally come and we were off. We headed up
the coast to Monterey as our first stop. After spending the night there we headed
inland  towards Yosemite where we wanted to spend a couple days having some
fun.
   Camped outside Yosemite on the Merced River. It was a nice quiet place and we
could just go into the National Park for day trips and do what we wanted.We went
rock climbing actually more like scrambling up these rock slides where the flood
waters had washed away the hills. It was good,We got back into the woods away
from all the tourists and just enjoyed ourselves each day.
  The third day we were there we decided it was time to head out and hit the road early afternoon heading east over the mountains into Nevada and getting on US rt
6 . We wanted to back road it to Colorado and really see the west so that's what we
did. Rode all afternoon and into the night way out into nowhere when I hit reserve
on my gas. My bike will go about 20 miles on reserve so we started looking for gas.
   Driving and driving into the night starting to think I'm fucked when we see a light
ahead. I'm running on fumes now as we pull into this closed gas station with a
house attached in the middle of nowhere. We get out and start walking towards the
house when all of a sudden these two cowboys with shot guns pointed at us say
hold it right there! We explain our situation to them at gun point and they reluctantly
give us gas for the bike and car.I think we bought 10 dollars worth but I threw them
a 20 and we got the hell out of there. Rode down the road about another 30 miles
and found an unattended National Forest campsite and made camp for the night
under the stars.It was an incredible night,no moon and so many stars that it was
light enough to cast a shadow. I had never seen a sky like that before and I just lay
there looking at it as I fell asleep.
   Next morning we hit the road and are really cruising. I'm going about 80 mph
when this cop passes us going in the other direction. He waves to us and keeps on
going! I didn't realize it then but there was no speed limit on that road back then.
About 10 miles past there I saw a sign after we rode thru a town that read resume
reasonable speed. The country side was really beautiful and we just rode and
checked things out all day long. I'd get way ahead of Richard and then we'd pull
over and let then catch up.We did this about once every hour. This worked for us
'cause Richard was always stopping to take pictures and me being on a 2 stroke
motorcycle needed to really rip to keep the motor from getting fouled plugs.We
found a place in eastern Nevada to camp and relaxed as the day ended.
   We woke up to a warm sunny morning and headed out early. Today we wanted to
get over to eastern Utah or western Colorado. It was really warm and nice riding as
we wandered eastward and the country was beautiful. We stayed on US 6 as we
headed east stopping for lunch somewhere near the middle of Utah and then the
road headed south east. It was real nice country and as usual I was way out in front
of Richard blasting down the road.
     It was mid afternoon when we pulled over to let Richard and Cathy catch up to
us.We were waiting and waiting. Waited about 45 minutes and decided we'd
backtrack and check to see that they were alright . We rode for about 15 minutes
when we saw them on the side of the road with this black mid 50's Buick stopped
with them. We pull in and get off the bike to be welcomed buy this drunk cowboy
and our companions broke down with a blown motor.
   We start talking about what we're going to do when this guy starts getting abusive
and calling us "hop heads" and  pulls out a 357 magnum. He's slugging down
gulps of Segrams and we're looking at each other wandering how we are going to
get away from this guy. Here we are on this deserted stretch of road out in butt fuck
nowhere Utah with this drunk cowboy holding us at gun point but he hasn't really
pointed it at us yet he's just abusive verbally at this point.
   This scene was playing out very slowly and about 10 minutes into it he reaches
into the car and pulls out a shot gun. He hands me the 357 and points the rifle at
me and says can you shoot boy? So I look at him and say sure I know how to shoot and he tells me to "shoot that log boy" so I do and hit it. He takes back the weapon
and puts the shot gun back in the front seat of the car. Next thing I see is this gun
about 6 inches away from my face. At this point I'm thinking I'm a dead man and a
very strange calm came over me as I'm  telling him " you don't want to do that" He points the gun at my 3 friends and
says "you , you, and you in the car" and with that he jumps in the drivers seat and
takes off with Richard and the two sisters.
  I'm freaking out now! I hop on my bike and tear after them but he's gaining on me
and I can't keep up.I loose sight of them . From what I learned afterwards they were
all screaming as he was going about 100 mph down the road. He clipped a guard
rail ,then sideswiped a tractor trailer before turning off on to a dirt road. I saw the
truck on the side of the road as the driver was getting out ,didn't stop. Then I see this dust cloud up this dirt road and I just knew that's them. I start racing up this road
and now I have the advantage. He's going slow now and I'm catching them.  He
gets to this open spot and stops as I arrive right behind him and they all get out.
   Richard gives me this look like he's thinking we're goners and I start talking
saying that we're going to go get a mechanic to help us with the car and grab Pat
and get her on the bike with me. We are now sitting on the running bike and this
drunken fool is ranting about how we're hop heads and I'm going on about how
we'll be right back as soon as we get someone to help with the car like there is
nothing going on out of the ordinary here.Even Richard didn't know I was
bullshitting at this point I really sounded sincere and we took off with him shooting
into the air yelling.
   We flew down the dirt road and I remembered seeing a truck weigh station about
5 miles back when we first turned around looking for them so we headed for
that.Pull in and Pat is totally hysterical at this point crying and screaming "he's
going to kill my sister" over and over while I'm telling this cop there this story about
how this guy has my friends.
   At first the cop doesn't believe me and is kind of skeptical but then the trucker that
this drunk fool hit  pulls in and tells the cop his tale of getting sideswiped  by this
black Buick and the cop changes his tune. He picks up the phone and calls for help
and about 10 minutes later there are about 10 or so cowboys with rifles  They know the guy as it turns out and they call up to get some horses 'cause they also know his daddy owns half the county and by now he's way off in the hills. They were right. When we got back to the spot where we last saw Richard and Cathy they were gone! The cops all get on horses and ride off leaving Pat and I sitting there alone with the first cop in his police car.
   Day turned into night as Pat and I sat in the back of this police car , her crying and
me and this cop trying to calm her. This went on for at least 4 or 5 hours when they
finaly came back with Cathy and Richard . The drunk was in handcuffs and they
separated the 4 of us and took our statements.
   Back at the police station in Price Utah we are taken aside by the original cop
who tells us the story about this guy. He's a local drunk and his father owns a huge
sheep ranch or something and the best thing for us to do is just move on and not
press charges 'cause he'll buy his son out of this. The guy was politically connected
and there was no way his son was going to go to jail over this so just leave in the morning .We'll hold him long enough for you to get your car towed and get out of
town. Then he tells us he'll help us and takes us out to the car and back to my bike
at the weigh station, follows us back into town and helps us get a motel room. He
turned out to be a really nice guy. Turns out his wife was pregnant and about to
give birth any time now and here he was helping us.
  Next morning early we hear a knock on the door and it's the cop. He's off duty now
and he came by to help us again.He took us out to Richards car so we could get
some belongings . Pat and I had decided to go ahead and wait for Richard and
Cathy in Colorado 'cause it was going to be a week before the car was fixed. We
made our plans as to where to meet, got our stuff and hit the road leaving Richard
and Cathy with the car and the cop.
   Later that day Richard went back out to the car with the cop and a tow truck to
have the car towed 75 miles to Salt Lake City where there was a Fiat dealer. When
they arrive at the car the windshield is smashed ,the wires are ripped out and all our stuff that was still in the car was gone. I would find this out a week later when I
received a Telegram like we had planed telling me when they would be arriving in
Nederlands  Colorado. The ordeal was over now. The car was all fixed and they
would be here in 2 days! We were happy !!!
   It was strange leaving Richard and Cathy behind but we were all good with it and
we really had no other choice. Money was an issue and I really couldn't do a motel
in Salt Lake City besides ,at that point I wanted out of Utah and never wanted to see the place again. We packed up the bike and said our good byes and hit the road late in the morning.
     Traveling east on US 6 still my bike wasn't running very well. The charging
system had started to fail and we were now running on the battery. We pulled into a
gas station and had the battery charged up and headed back out doing this two
times that day until finaly just west of Grand Junction Colorado the bike started to
run on one cylinder and I pulled over. We were out in the middle of nowhere stuck
on the side of the road when this guy in a pick up comes along.
   Here we are on the side of the road now fooling with my bike with this guy trying
to get it going.He tells us he lives up the road with his wife and if we can get the
bike to his place we can fix it. I give it one last kick and it starts so he and Pat get in
his truck and follow me up the road.He passes me and turns into this driveway still
way out in the middle of nowhere and I follow and we're there. He hits the horn and
his wife comes out.They are in their late 20's maybe 30 at the oldest and very
friendly .She says hello and he explains to her how we're going to fix my bike and
she insists we eat dinner with them first. Really nice people! We had this good meal
and then he and I went out into his shop and there is his bike ,it figures I think to
myself and we start to work. Didn't take long to find the problem and it was minor.
The generator brushes had worn out past their service limit and weren't making
contact with the armature in the generator.
   We took the brushes out and he told me there was no Yamaha shop anywhere in
the area so we'd have to make our own out of these Harley brushes he had. Now
the Harley brushes are way bigger in width but about the same length so basically
what we needed to do was file the graphite down until they would fit in the holder of
the generator where they sit. This whole job took less than an hour and I was fixed! The bike was charging and we were back in business. He suggested we give the
battery a charge and they invited us to spend the night while the battery was being
slow charged. After what we had just been thru it was so good to meet good people
again and we all smoked some grass and had a few beers . We told them our tale
of horror from the day before and they set us up with a bed and we slept like
babies. Funny how life can change from one extreme to the other just like that!
   Next morning after a really good breakfast we hit the road.I tried to pay him for his
help and the parts but he wouldn't hear it and smiling told us to get going . What
fine people these were I was thinking as I pulled out of the dirt driveway and back
onto Rt 6.
   Now we were in Colorado and heading into the rockies.We left US6 and took
some back roads and navigated over to Nederlands and back to Peaceful Valley
where I had been last summer and we would be meeting Richard and Cathy. We
got there in the late afternoon and weren't there 5 minutes when I hear this voice
calling my name! It's Sean!!! He had left LA earlier than he expected and was
actually in front of us the whole trip! We fooled around in California going up the
coast and staying in Yosemite while he just went straight for Colorado. It was good
to be with friends and we all got high as we cooked some dinner on the fire.

  Next afternoon I started making my daily trip into town to the Western Union office
to see if there was a telegram from Richard & Cathy. On the 3rd day it was there
and it explained how all our stuff was stolen and the car had been wrecked by this
asshole but all was fixed now and they would be in Colorado in 2 days. Things
were finaly working out and we'd soon be back together again.
Cathy and Richard arrived as planned and I met them in Nederlands.We drove out
to Peaceful Valley and set up camp.Sean was there and they were glad to see
some people they knew. The next day I could tell there was something wrong. We
were arguing and the two girls seemed pissed off at me more than Richard and
wanted to just go home.It sucked and the next day someone drove them to Denver
and they got on a plane to home. That was the last time we ever saw or heard from
them. I often wonder about them and look on line from time to time for them but
never seem to find them.
    Richard and I were enjoying hanging out in the woods with our friends and things
were ok.We decided to go to Boulder and look to see if we could find someone else
to come along to help him with the gas. We met this girl who needed a ride to New
York and all seemed to get along ok so the three of us decided to travel together and
we were back on the road after a week of rest and relaxation in the mountains.
Sean wanted to travel across Canada so he went north and we set out for
Nebraska.
  That first day back on the road would turn out to be one ,if not the, longest one day
ride I ever did in my entire 48 years of riding a motorcycle.We went from about 25
miles west of Boulder Colorado all the way to Lincoln Nebraska ! Damn my ears
were ringing and my eyes were burning red !  It was a long day but there isn't
anything there but cornfields anyway so we figured we'd just get thru it and then
kick back some for the rest of the ride.
  The ride thru Iowa was nice ,not nearly as boring as thru Nebraska and we took
some back roads . While driving down this one road we saw all this pot growing along the side of the road so we slammed on the brakes and just started filing this
canvas bag we had full with the stuff. We packed it in tight and had a few lbs . We
took off out of there before anyone came along and were back on our way down
the road. That evening we found this dirt road into some woods.We rode down it a
ways and saw it was deserted so we camped there and tried some of this side of
the road pot. What shit this stuff was! it took about 3 joints each to get a buzz but
hey, the price was right.
  The next couple days were kind of boring There wasn't much to see and we just
drove and slept our way thru Illinois and Indiana . We were getting to the east now
and our trip would be ending soon. It was kind of a down but we wanted to get to
New York and then decide what to do next.
   Driving thru Ohio it was cloudy and as we neared Cleveland it started to
rain.Actually it poured and I was soaked to the bone in less than two minutes so we
just kept on driving. It got worse and worse until I couldn't go on so we took a motel
room just east of Cleveland and called it a day. Dried out our stuff and went out for
some dinner and went to sleep.
   The morning came and as I opened up the shades I could see it was beautiful
outside . We got ready and hit the road mid morning. We were going to get into
New York State today and would only have one more day on the road after that.
   Rode thru about 50 miles of PA and then we hit NY. I don't think we were in New
York more than 15 minutes when the State Police pull us over.
     We were fooling around with the police for about 10 minutes when he starts to
nose around in the car.Richard and I look at each other and both start thinking we
are fucked if this guy finds that canvas bag full of pot in the trunk so Richard pulls
out a road map and spreads it out on the trunk of the car.We are looking at it and
ask the cop how to get to this small town that I knew was way the fuck out in the
middle of nowhere and probably not on this map.He's there looking at the map with
us and telling us where he thinks this place is when he gets a radio call and gives
us back our paperwork and leaves. Whew! that was close we both said and started
laughing as we started to leave . Rode about another 150 miles that day on back
roads thru upstate NY and camped.We were in striking distance of the city now and
almost home.
   Got a flat in my rear tire as we were getting gas. Lucky for me we were at a gas
station. I pulled the wheel off, dismounted the tire and the guy put a patch on the
tube.Put it all back together and 5 bucks later we were back on the road. By now it
was mid morning and we were heading down RT 17 getting close to the New York
State Thruway. Maybe 10 minutes later we're on the thruway and headed for the
Tappan Zee Bridge  .
   Made it all the way over the bridge and to the toll booths when this cop walks over
and tells us to pull over. Here we go again we are thinking and he starts in with the
usual crap. Paperwork check and like the day before he's nosing around the car. It
was just dumb luck but he opened up the trunk looked in but didn't open the canvas
bag closed the trunk and told us to drive carefully and left. We dodged another
bust! Continued on our way into the city where we dropped off the girl that we took
on in Boulder and headed to Long Island. The cross country trip was over.
  Now at my parents house they let us stay the night but told me that when Richard left I had to leave as well unless I shaved ,got a hair cut ,a job ,and totally gave up
my hippie lifestyle. Well there was no way I was doing that shit so after two days
when Richard left to go into the city and stay with his cousin I was homeless and
living in the woods down by the beach.
   I would only live in the woods for 2 nights as it turned out. Next day I was over at
George's house picking up my pot that we had shipped there when a mutual friend
neither of had seen in a year stopped by.We all got high and I was telling him how I
was living down in the woods by the beach . He told me he had these friends who
were looking for someone to crew on their boat and I should talk to them.He told
me he'd talk to them and get back. Next day he brings me down and we all smoke
some grass.They had fixed up this old wooden cabin cruiser built in 1929 and
needed help keeping it going .They wanted to finish getting it painted and head up
to Marthas Vinyard in a couple weeks . So, I started living aboard and painting and
partying .We stayed at the town dock at night and went out into the bay and
dropped anchor during the days while they went to work and I painted. Some days I
stayed ashore and rode my bike around life was good .
  Finally,the day had arrived to leave .We hoisted my bike on board and lashed it
down on the rear deck and off we went. Once outside the harbor we all dropped
mescaline and by the time we were out in Long Island Sound we were tripping
pretty good. It was really nice tripping on a boat and we just motored along slowly
heading east taking turns at the wheel.  It took all day to get out east and we were
pretty much down by the time we got into Mattituck harbor where we would spend
our first night.
   As we sailed into Mattituck there was this girl standing on the dock waving at us
so we pulled up and tied off the boat. She was from the city she explained and was
bored to death out here in the middle of nowhere and asked us if we wanted to get
high. She got onboard and we started smoking down in the aft cabin .This girl was
crazy. A real party animal . I wasn't really in the mood to party so I took off and went
walking into the town looking for something to eat. When I returned my friends were
laughing and kidding me for leaving.We cast off
from the dock went out into the harbor and dropped anchor for the night.
    Next day we headed across the Sound to Connecticut. We went to Mystic the first
ay then the next day headed up the Connecticut River to explore. That was fun but
when the tide went out we got stuck up river until the next high tide lifted us off the
bottom. Headed back towards open water and  as we were leaving the mouth of
the river Rick hit a rock or something and the propeller  shaft coupling sheared off
so we needed to fix it. Limped back into this boat yard and bought some bolts &
nuts. The guy said they were the right ones but they weren't. We didn't know this
until the next day out in the middle of Block Island Sound in heavy seas.
   Here we are out ,way out off shore in really heavy seas when the fucking bolts
shear off! The swells were maybe 15 to 20 ft and we had no control .Ted decides to
throw out a sea anchor off the bow to keep us pointed into the waves while I'm
down in the bilge puking as I'm trying to fix the fucking drive shaft and Rick is
steering.I'd get it tight enough for him to run for a couple minutes and it would fail
we did this for about an hour .We almost lost Ted overboard as he was fooling with the anchor .We thought we were done. No radio you know just 3 dumb hippies out
in a boat in a storm when all of a sudden this huge sailboat approaches us and
asks us if they should get the Coast Guard. We said yes and thanked them and
they hung around until the Coast Guard arrived to tow us in.
  They chewed us out real good but didn't make too big a deal out of it and left us at
this little shipyard in Stonington Connecticut where we would spend the next week
or so fixing the boat and working off the bill for it.
   No longer able to go to the Vinyard we  worked and met some locals  . We had
fun and met this girl named Kit. She and I hit it off well and spent some time
together. She took us up to this lake where we all went skinny dipping and had us
over for dinner. She was a real nice girl. Then our time had come to leave. We
needed gas so we took a 5 gallon can and got on my bike and siphoned gas from
cars at night making trip after trip back to the boat with this stolen gas. We did this
for 3 nights until we had a full tank  ,finished the side of the boat we were sanding
for the boatyard they could see from the office and beat it in the middle of the night
headed back to Long Island.
  We made it all the way to the mouth of Huntington Bay when the fog rolled in and
we lost our bearings. Thinking we were going into port we actually were not and
ended up back on the other side of the sound in Stamford Connecticut .  We were
lucky we didn't hit anything or anybody .Spent the night there and crossed back
over to Long Island the next morning bringing this adventure to an end.
  Back on land with my bike and stuff I went to see my friends and George and I got
a job with this other guy Bruce as plumbers helpers. I needed to be indoors and I
had a job so my parents let me stay in the basement in my old room again and I
spent the rest of the summer working with my friends as we made plans to go up to
Nova Scotia in late August before Bruce went back to school.
  Made some money working ,partied every night and the summer dragged on.Late in August we decided to head up to Nova Scotia in George's VW bus. We quit our jobs with the plumbers and packed up and headed up north one August afternoon with a gallon of wine and an ounce of grass. We decided we'd go to Cape Cod the first night and hit the beach.
 It was dark out ,maybe 10pm or so when we pulled over to pick up these two kids hichiking . As they were getting settled in the bus the cops pull up with the lights going and the kids threw some pot they had out the window.We 're busted !
 I stuffed our grass in my rolled up sleeping bag as they are ordering us out of the vehicle to search it. This cop just starts going thru the bus throwing stuff on top of my rolled up sleeping bag and buries it.He finds 3 seeds ,two twigs ,and a dirty pipe.We all get arrested and hauled off to the police station.
 Here we are in this dinky little town police station with these cops doing their thing  and George is getting into this philosophical discussion with the arresting  officer about how he's going to go home that night and break the law when he has oral sex with his wife  and what we did is really no worse than what you are about to go do.I'm doing all I can not to start laughing my ass off.This whole scene was right out of the Andy Grifith Show ! They never even made us empty our pockets ,just locked us up in this micky mouse jail they had .Put thee three of us together in one cell and the two kids in another. There were a couple drunks in the other cell ,it was a full house.
 Once in the cell we realized we had matches and either an ash can or a cherry bomb ! They never searched us ,these guys were really lax in their job or they were so excited that they actually had made an arrest in their one horse town that they just blew it .So ,all night long we had a debate. I wanted to light it and flush it down the toilet like we used to do in high school  blowing up the pipes, Bruce was on the fence or totally against it because he was facing charges in New Orleans for the same kind of trumped up charges, and George was back & forth about doing it.This made for an interesting night as we debated blowing up the toilet pipe in this police station. We never did decide and morning came.
 We were taken to court and formally charged ,Bruce's parents came up bringing my mother and George's mother with them. His father put his business up as collateral for our bail and got us released .A court date was set and we set out to find a lawyer.Once that was taken care of we decided to keep going but not to Nova Scotia.We went to Maine and went camping.
 Back on the road out of Dodge so to speak I reached into my sleeping bag and pulled out our ounce of grass and we got stoned.
 It was late September now and we had to go to court. We rode up in Bruce's 1960 Ford panel truck and met our parents there the morning of the trial. Bruce and George were thinking I might make some kind of scene in court and were asking me to be cool.I had no respect for this whole process or the people involved but I kept my mouth shut . They were pretty neatly dressed,I went in a dirty sweat shirt and jeans.Had to make some statement of protest to this crap . The lawyer pleaded our case and the judge gives us a break.He decides that he's going to give us a conditional discharge which meant that if we were good boys for 13 months the charges would be dismissed with no record.We got off.
 Heading towards home we decided to go visit the girl I had met in Stonington CT earlier that summer when I was on the boat. We spent the night at her place celebrating .That would be the last time I would ever see her.
 Back home the very day I went to court my father lost his job.It might have been related it might not have been related.This is something I will never know but it was the beginning of his demise.It was the fall of 1970 he was 52 and would never really work again. I found a job in this place in Huntington ,a welfare housing project ,as a janitors helper part time and started painting houses on my own in the afternoons.
  My new boss was this real nice black guy named Joe .He lived in the place and was the super there.We got along well ,we had lots in common and he was into fixing cars and selling them. He had this 1960 Ford panel truck we used to get supplies and stuff  in and one day I told him how much I liked it.I was telling him it was exactly the same as my friend Bruce's that he had turned into a camper.He told me he was going to sell it and if I wanted it I could have it for a hundred eighty five bucks.We worked out a deal and I gave him my pay check for a couple weeks and it was mine.My first 4 wheeled vehicle ! I was 21 years old and now I had a truck and a motorcycle.

 Got it on the road with my next paycheck then did a brush and roller paint job on it .The thing looked great ! That winter I slowly fixed it up and made it into a really nice camper with storage under the bed that could fold in half or cover the whole back when I had company.
 Later that winter I needed tires and asked Joe if he knew where I could get some good cheap rubber .A day later he tells me about a deal for these 4 brand new tires that this cop he knew lifted from the police dept. A hundred bucks so I went for them.
 Had my youngest sisters boyfriend who was working at a gas station at the time mount them backwards so the markings that said police dept. couldn't be seen . On they went. A month later they almost got me jammed up with the police but as luck would have it I managed to avoid this.It was now late Feb.1971 and this tire business would lead me into eight months on the road wandering in my truck and hich hiking to Alaska.

My Camp

Back in the spring of 2018 I got hacked and while dealing with all the crap that is associated with that I mistakenly deleted a bunch of posts I did about fixing up my camp.Now it's the beginning of winter 2019  here in NY and too damn cold to ride , rake leaves , or work out in the garage so I have decided to write one long blog post about the work that took place up at my camp from 2015 to the present.  So , here goes :

 MY CAMP
 It all started with a motorcycle trip up to my camp in May of 2015.

I hadn't been up to my camp for 5 long years.I tried to get there a few times but something always stopped me.The weather forced me to turn back a couple times and also caused me to not even bother once.Another time the bike broke down and I had to rent a truck to get it home. So I put my foot down in 2015 and decided I would go no matter what. When I got there it was a mess.Here are some photos of that

Someone had tried to break in but failed . The siding was all rotted and animals were chewing their way thru it to get inside.The barn had a hole in the roof and the door had been forced open but nothing was taken. I was so upset  I just took some photos and got back on my bike and headed home. As I rode I thought about the place and got even more upset. Took a motel room when it started to get dark and went to sleep.On the ride home the next day a plan started to form in my head. I was going to head back up as soon as possible and fix this. Things worked out once home.Some work fell out of the sky and landed on me. It was a big job and I could break it up into smaller parts taking breaks to go up north to work on the camp.In June I made my first trip back..

I started by cutting the tree up that fell on the building. Did that pretty much as soon as we arrived then I rigged a shower so we could get clean after the 8 hour drive up and the work we did setting up a camp.

We had to cook and sleep outdoors on this trip because the animals pretty much trashed the inside of the place. We knew this going into this trip.We brought masks and goggles,disposable gloves and paper full length painters suits  so we were protected from any disease like Hanta Virus from the hordes of mice that passed thru the place over the past 5 years. So,after getting set up and having a nice dinner outside we hit the tent and slept.The next morning our dumpster was supposed to arrive so after breakfast I went into town to call about it.We have no cell service out in the woods.So I'm in the town and I'm seeing all these cops all over the place.Didn't think much of it. I had forgotten all about the story in the news a few days earlier about the escaped prisoners from Danamora . I returned to camp  put a big sign with the address number in the window of my car parked out on the road so the driver could find us and just hung out having coffee while we got suited up to start tearing into this mess. We no sooner got the suits on when this guy appears.I assumed he was the driver with my dumpster but he turned out to be a US Marshal. He identified himself and we did the same.I dropped a few names of the neighbors who were natives of the town and told him I have owned the place for 40 years. He was a nice guy and we chatted a while before he left he told us to be careful and keep an eye out for strangers. Asked if we were armed  I said no but I'll turn them into chop meat with the chain say or axe then if they cone around here .He laughed and took off. Still waiting for the dumpster we decided to start ripping out the insulation that the mice were nesting in.We had the place all torn apart when these two state troopers with machine guns show up. We identified ourselves and gave them the ok to look around. They told us that these guys were really dangerous before moving on to the next place. Right after they left the dumpster finally arrived and we started to fill it.

That was the end of our encounters with the giant manhunt going on . I never thought these two morons would survive in the woods in June.The insects would be eating them alive and being out in the elements in the wilderness areas of Northern New York can really take it's toll on you if you don't know what you're doing.We finished the work after 3 days and on Monday headed back to long Island . After about a week we heard on the news that the police shot and killed one of them and seriously wounded the other one . They spent their last weeks of life being hunted like the animals they were.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Clinton_Correctional_Facility_escape
Now it's July  2015 and I'm back up at the  my camp alone cleaning , ordering lumber , and riding my motorcycle some.  I drove up in my old 1971 Chevy  C 20 pick up with my 71 Yamaha R5 in the back to use while up here and save on gas.

This trip I finally started to fix the place. After cleaning the entire inside of the building with bleach and letting it air out for a day I moved in. First job was to put the kitchen counter back in place and set up a kitchen.Then the bed got all set up and I was home  !

 Spent the rest of  the July trip working on fixing the barn roof. This was no easy task .

After fixing the structure I put down a layer of tar paper then 90 weight roll roofing.In August I will put on roofing shingles over this for a roof that will out last me. After getting the roof covered with this under layer I started measuring for the lumber needed to reside the other building .Went to this mill that this young Amish guy runs a few miles away and placed the order.He told me he'd have it all cut and ready for me in the third week in August when my next trip was planned. Spent the last few days riding and enjoying  as I reconnected with my camp and Northern New York.

The August trip was done in my little 65 Valiant station wagon. I had placed an order at the mill for the siding lumber and the wagon could handle that job so I used it to save on gas. The truck gets 8 mpg most times,on a good day 10. The wagon on the other  hand gets about 24 to 26 with that sweet littls 170 cu in slant 6 and the 4 speed behind it. I had most of the roofing shingles already there .I had brought them up years before . Had them as left overs from a job I did with a friend on his garage. He said take them rather than return them to the lumberyard  so I stuck them in the barn. I started right in when I arrived working on the roof in the morning  and getting lumber in the afternoon.

I could only take so much of the heat up on the roof  so it was a good plan.Cold shower at lunch time then a trip to the mill to haul lumber and carry it up the hill & and stack it.Each afternoon I did this  until I had all the lumber on site . After getting it all up the hill and stacked outside I cleared a space inside to stack it where it could dry so when I returned in late September I could start hanging new siding on the back side of my place . It was a very productive trip and I had real good weather to work in.

Now it's the end of September and my wife is going to come up with me to help me put up the siding.It is much easier with another pair of hands and goes faster even though I do all the actual work so I'm real happy about this. We started by moving all the wood outside .The original plan was to do both front and back but as I got into it I realized the front could get put off for another year or two.It wasn't rotted and full of holes from animals chewing thru it like the back .The back needed serious work.I had to do all sorts of work to the windows before we could start hanging the siding.The job went well

A couple good long days and that was finished.It was getting cold so I also had to get the stove operational .Got that going just as we were finishing up the siding and getting ready for the total eclipse of the moon the next night.

The day of the eclipse was clear as a bell and we went out wandering around in the car hiking here and there .After a good day out in the world we stopped and had dinner at this Italian place we like in Potsdam.Driving east towards home we saw the moon rise .It was huge.  it was a couple hours before it got really dark and then it started. As the moon fell into Earths shadow it turned a redish brown color and the sky got darker and darker so more and more stars appeared. My camp is in one of the last places in the north east US where there is no light pollution and when it's dark the sky lights up with the Milky Way and about ten billion other stars .It is truly a sight to behold. This night was special ,not only did we have billions of stars but we also had this redish brown moon there giving off no light. There was a pack of coyotes in the woods about a hundred feet from us barking howling screaching like mad . It was music ! This went on for quite some time and as the moon started to reappear the stars started to vanish as did the coyotes.It was an incredible event and we were all alone in the woods sharing it with a pack of coyotes.Doesn't get any better than this !

We still had a few days left so we spent them wandering about enjoying the fall colors before closing up the camp for the winter.

It was a very productive 1st year of a long term fix up of my camp I was thinking as I was leaving for home.I reestablished my link with my camp ,kicked out the mice , saved the barn from falling apart , and spent a good amount of time making new contacts in the area and enjoying my little piece of paradise .

Now it's Spring of 2016 I'm back up at my camp and another season of fixing up the place begins . Now that the place has been made habitable I decided to kick back some and enjoy the place while still moving forward with the work.So  , I decided that I would build an outhouse . I brought my kayak up with me this trip along with my 1971 Yamaha R5  to enjoy. Went down the river in Potsdam and explores some and took a bunch of real nice rides when I wasn't digging the hole for the outhouse.

It's hard work digging a hole in the Adirondacks. There are rocks in the ground and sometimes they are too big to even take out.Lucky for me I could get the rocke out of this hole but then I hit hard pan .  At this point I decided to built rather than dig anymore.I was at about 3 1/2 feet down . I can make the hole deeper after it's all built. I thought about using a gas powered post hole digger so I bought one to do a fence job back on Long Island but when I was using it  the bit hit a root and stopped while the 3 hp motor kept spinning and it slammed my leg,sprained my wrist,and threw me into some loose fence cutting my head ! This took place in the summer of 2019  now I'm thinking of using an electric jack hammer to get thru this shit. Anyway back to 2016 and building the outhouse. I went ahead and built it over the course of the 2016 season not finishing the inside or the door.I just boarded it up and left it until I could come up with a solution to getting past the hard pan. So , I still dig a hole to use as a privy each time I'm there  for now keeping the outhouse unused so I can keep digging in there.With any luck I'll get it done in 2020 .

Spent much of my time enjoying the north country. The Kayak was a great source of enjoyment as was the motorcycle and just camping.I was alone for June/July's trip and also the August trip . In the Fall my wife came along and we had a great time exploring and finding new places.We also got to know out neighbors some and had dinner with them one evening .I did some serious cooking on the campfire too which I really love to do. Met a guy to ride with on the 4th of July and have been riding with him a few times since. Lots of this was covered in posts that didn't get deleted so I'm not going to go into detail.The summer of 2016 was productive and very much enjoyable . My camp has come back from a neglected mess and I'm a happy guy.

Another project was cleaning out the barn. I got into that one day.

Pulled out this old WWII Vintage generator I want to restore at some point and cleaned it up some  making sure the motor was still free and lubricated. Then it was on to the table saw and joiner  unit I have.This belonged to a late friend who passed away in 2000 . I bought it from his widow just to have for up here .I keep it lubricated and covered so it doesn't rust .If I ever get to finishing the interior of the cabin it will come in real handy .

When the  time for the Fall trip arrived my wife was able to take time and come along.We had a nice vacation  just hanging out and going here and there checking out all these places. I cut some dead trees down for fire wood and we were nice and warm when we hung out at the camp at night. One day we went west and explored

Another day we headed to the east and discovered a really nice place the state just took over.It was a great camp built in the 1920's or 30's by some rich lumber company owner

It was a real nice place and way off the beaten path .We had the place all to ourselves and really enjoyed it.Sure hope the state doesn't let it turn to crap thru neglect.They are known to do stupid things like that . We continued on down the road off into the eastern part of the Adirondacks for a while longer then headed home . It was a great trip and like the year before I felt good about the progress I had made.

Now it's 2017 .Not doing much work on the camp this year,I'm just enjoying it. Here is what I previously posted about this summer :
I've been real lax in posting here in my blog lately. Not for lack of stuff to write about and pictures to share but mostly just out of laziness .Sometimes I get this way. Been busy ,I painted my neighbors house for her,went out to Michigan to get my little bike,went up to the camp in July and rode & kayaked,Got the Moto Guzzi running real well and went to visit with my friend Juan who now lives up in the Hudson River Valley. Took a road trip to White Rose Motorcycle Club in PA .So,there are lots of things to talk about.The Michigan trip has already been covered so I guess I'll start with my ride up to the Adirondacks in my old 71 Chevy truck. After breaking my ass packing all I needed for the week I headed out.I had the 1971 Yamaha R5 and my kayak in the back of the truck with the rest of my camping gear and off I went at 4:45 to get the  AM ferry to Bridgeport ,CT

.It was a good day and I made great time arriving exactly seven hours after leaving the ferry .It was a nice day until I hit this very heavy rain about 50 miles north of Albany.It came down in buckets ! I pushed on and after leaving the Northway to cross the Adirondacks I stopped to eat on the side of the road.It was letting up some as I ate and by the time I was ready to roll it had stopped so the ride thru the High Peaks area was ok.The sun came out as I neared my camp up in the northwest corner of the park and when I arrived in early afternoon it was dry enough to unload and set up my camp.

Setting up is no easy task ,it takes hours to unload,take the boards off the windows and door,wheel everything up the hill in the wheel barrel ,clean the place,set up the water pump and hoses ,the shower area,and the house . After the place was set up I still had time to drive the seven miles to the store to get ice for the ice chests which I did before calling it a day.

Woke up to a beautiful day and decided to head into town to go shopping and get all the supplies I was going to need for the next couple days.As I was having breakfast I was listening to my weather radio and hearing that I was going to have a great week weather wise so made up my mind to just call this a vacation and not work.I'm going riding and kayaking is what I was thinking as I was finishing my coffee . Cleaned up some and off I went on my bike to get food for a couple days and check my emails at the local coffee shop.

The trip into Potsdam is a nice ride especially if I take the back roads thru Lake Ozonia .It's a good ride thru the woods and adds about 5 or 6 miles to the trip. So,I went off and did a short side trip before going shopping. Went riding lots on this trip,every day actually. On the 4th of July I decided to go riding so I packed up my bike with some stuff,my computer,and the rain gear just in case and off I went towards Potsdam .Hit the coffee shop to get online and have my last cup of coffee for the day.As I'm sitting there checking my emails this older guy comes up to me and proclaims "It has to be you" I look up with this puzzled look and he says "it has to be you who owns that beautiful Yamaha out there" and for the next twenty minutes we talk bikes.He ,like so many others in my age group no longer rides.For some reason these guys just quit and you can see it in them that they wish they hadn't.The excuses are always about family or to dangerous or some combination of the two and I just smile and usually say that it doesn't matter what happens out there because when your number is up it's up and going out doing what you love sure beats cancer or some other garbage that we all will get sooner or later anyway. Not me,I'm gonna ride right on out of this life if I have any say in things.This usually shuts them down and they end the conversation shortly after.This guys story was about this old bike he had that got stolen by some guy who he brought around to see it.Then he tells me this happened 40 years ago.Oh well,you either are a biker or you wish you were .After finishing my coffee I headed out the door and fired my bike up to go get gas and ride.Now at the gas station I fill the bike and go inside to get my change.As I'm walking across the parking lot I see this guy on a modern dirt bike checking out my bike.We start talking .We talk bikes,the state of the country,and all sorts of other shit for about ten minutes then he invites me to go riding with him.Of course I accept and we head on over to his place to tell his wife we are going out riding for the afternoon and also to switch bikes.It turns out he's another one like me with lots of bikes so after checking out all his cool machines he decides which one to take and off we went on a hundred plus mile ride all over the northwest part of the Adirondacks on back roads.It was a great ride and I made a friend. What a great way to spend the 4th of July I was thinking as I headed back over towards St Regis Falls to my camp and dinner.Spent the next couple days in my kayak and riding in the evenings. I decided to explore the river over in Potsdam this trip. It was good.I put in right in town at this park owned by the university and headed upstream.Found that there are all these islands up stream with trails on them but didn't have any rope to tie off my kayak so I just explored all the little coves and worked my way around the shoreline.

Spent the better part of four hours exploring this day and as I was paddling back towards the put in site I decided I'd return the next day with some rope so I can tie up and check out the islands some.
Returned to camp in the late afternoon and went riding.It was a good ride out to the north and the flat land of the St Lawrence River Valley where it's very rural with small and large farms scattered about.Took some dirt roads and had lots of fun just wandering before calling it a day
Woke up to another beautiful day and headed back to the river with a rope attached to my kayak this time.It was a warm sunny day as I put in .Paddled over to the big island where the trails are and they have a small dock where you can tie up.

After exploring some on the island I paddled up river as far as I could go where there is a dam then turned and let the current take me home .It was a great way to spend another afternoon and I enjoyed it tremendously . Loaded up the truck and headed back to camp but not before stopping for an ice cream cone on this warm July day in Northern New York.Went out riding after dinner.I figured I had better because the next day it was time to start loading the truck for the trip home.Rode over towards Parishville then headed along the river out into the sticks.Found this side road with a small wooden bridge over the river so I took it.Met this woman on a 4 wheeler on the other side and she told me about this place up the road where lots of bikers go for lunch and to fill up with the non ethanol gas they sell there.So,now on my next trip up I have a new place to explore.My next trip up,Hmmm that will be next week in the beginning of September .Well,this summer has flown by and there is still more to report on from it like my trip up to visit Juan for a couple days.This trip was in August . As usual it started with a ferry trip across LI Sound It was only an hour and a half ride over to his place in Cold Spring in the Hudson River Valley.Got there early,around 10AM and had coffee while we caught up.Then off we went on an adventure to ride up north a couple hours to this art installation called ART OMI . It was a really cool place filled with all these sculptures on a hundred or more acres out in the country.The ride up was nice.We stopped for lunch in Rhinebeck then pushed on.Spent a couple hours checking out this place.Took lots of photos too.Here are a few,enjoy !

Rode back south to Cold Spring and relaxed outside for the evening then the next day we were off to ride some more into the Catskills.It was a good day of riding as we avoided the rain drops.It did rain but not on us .Saturday morning I got up with the birds chirping after a night of heavy rain.I was sure that I'd be heading home in rain wearing my rain gear but much to my surprise it was a beautiful morning and at a little after 7AM I hit the road to back road it east to I - 84 and Danbury where I get back on good road thry the woods down to Bridgeport and the ferry back to Long Island. It was a good 3 day trip and I got in about 500 miles of riding. Notice the smaller pack,it was nice just going light for a change.No camping on this trip so much less gear to carry.But,on the next trip that began 4 days later that wouldn't be the case.

I thought I had a week or more to do some things and get ready to go down to PA and the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Show at White Rose MC but that wasn't the case.I got home from Juan's on Saturday and on Monday morning I get this email from one of my friends asking if I'm going to White Rose on Thursday.That's when I realized I had three days to get ready and get outta here.Well,the bike was good for the most part but I decided to get a new battery before going on this trip.So,Tuesday I did that then slow charged it overnight before installing it.I was on the 7AM boat to Bridgeport on Thursday morning again heading out for a week of bike show and camping.Wandering around after the 3 days at White Rose with my friends heading northwest alone on my bike.It was good ! Had a great time at White Rose with my friends.Met some new people.This one couple stands out in my mind.She is an artist and he does bikes .They are in an old school bus that has been turned into a very comfy home.Traveling around spreading the word on climate change ,living as much off the grid as possible and selling bike parts and art. Nice people. Here is a link to their site,check 'em out
The Bus
http://mindfultrekker.blogspot.com/
The Art
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PeacefulEarthStudio

Rolled out of White Rose at around 10AM Sunday morning heading northwest.Camped out in the national forest and wandered on Monday camping in a new place.Didn't take any photos just wandered about on a loaded bike taking it all in.I like doing this,makes me feel like I'm on one of those epic journeys that I go on from time to time.Keeps me motivated and pointed towards the next one.On Tuesday I crossed into NY out in western NY and started heading east towards home.Rode the interstate for a few hours then back roads thru the Catskills.Crossed the Hudson at Kingston and camped in this state park I usually hit south of Rhinebeck that is a short two hour ride from the ferry back to LI.Was home by 3PM on Wed and my trip was over.So,there you have it.I'm up to date now and getting ready to head out again at some point next week .Back up to camp.Juan may ride up with me.I am going to work on the stream and the bridge.Should be fun and then I'm back up there again the end of September for two weeks with Celia.So,there will be more to write about shortly .Summer has flown by this year. It's been cool and wet but I got lots of riding in and with any luck I'll be getting more.
 Now it's 2018

Getting Ready To Travel

Yup,now it's that time again.It's mid June and I am just about finished with this project I have going  building an art studio in my friends basement .Been at that for a long time now and  it is turning out really nice but now I want to move on.Haven't worked on any motorcycles or done any painting and I need to get back to my own life.So,with the end in sight there I am starting to look forward to heading up to my camp .I'm thinking next week so I need to start getting the truck in shape to travel with.The plan is to use the truck and bring up the generator,the chain saw,and get lumber to build a trough way on the bridge over the summer.If I can get those three things accomplished I can use the BMW K100 to go back and forth in July August,and early September to save money on gas.Yeah,gas,we are being raped again by these greedy scumbags .I'm seeing 3.50 a gallon for regular now so using the bike is a necessity .The bike gets 42-47 MPG the truck gets 8-10 MPG,and the wagon gets 22-25 MPG so the truck will go once,the bike will go three times , and the wagon will do the final trip  .This approach will give me an acceptable mileage figure for the four or five trips I will make up this season. Money is tight, it's always been like this for me but I deal with it and make it work. The bridge work and finishing the siding are my goal this summer.Once those two projects are finished the place should be in saleable condition so when the time comes to head to Arizona I can  sell.I may bring the kayak up and the Yamaha R5 too but that is still up in the air.Maybe just the yamaha so I have cheap transportation while I'm up in the truck .I do love exploring the rivers in my kayak but really need to focus on finishing up this place.It's come a long way since 2015 when I started this fix up so now it's time to get it done.

Now It's Two Weeks Later !

Never worked on the truck, The price of gas made me rethink my plan and I pressed the good old 1965 Valiant Rat Wagon into service for my trip up to St Regis Falls. She didn't need much , a tune up and an oil change basically , I did a few other little things then packed her up and headed off.  Had a great trip . Everywhere I went people were giving me the thumbs up as I rolled down the road with my kayak tied to the roof .The camp came thru the winter ok,no trees were down on the buildings and everything was exactly as I left it back in October. The weather was so so, kind of cold and damp then a couple nice days .I got out and wandered around.Bought supplies so the place is stocked for me to return in July on a motorcycle. This was really the point of this short trip. I'm back home now.I was only there from Friday afternoon to Wednesday morning. Not nearly enough time to enjoy myself but better than not going at all so I can't really bitch too much.Never got to use my kayak but I will at some point this season.Just being out in the woods all alone was enough to make me happy.I love being out there in the quiet with the animals.Lots of birds .I saw a turkey at the end of the road as I was coming in and as I was packing to leave there were these two herons just going crazy  making a racket for a couple hours . The moon was full the other night but I didn't hear any coyotes . I like it when they carry on at night in the woods. So,now I'm back here in Long Island. Drove home yesterday ahead of the rain and the coming 4th of July weekend .Supposed to go out on this vintage motorcycle ride the 7th up in Connecticut . You know,a tiddler tour hosted by a friend Dave Roper .Haven't ridden with Dave in many years. We used to have these vintage events years ago out on eastern LI but that was twenty something years ago.It should be fun.I'm going to ride up on my 1965 Yamaha YDS3 . Tomorrow I will start servicing her  and get her inspected so she's all ready and legal. It will be good going out on a long ride on the YDS3. Been way too long .

 

Today I worked on my friend Steve's 65 Plymouth Barracuda. Sure felt good to work on an old car with a friend again. I loaned him a motor to use in it while he gets an original 1965 motor for it.

Actually I have the 65 motor for him and as soon as I get a good running 66 motor for my project I can let him have it.The loaner motor is a good one but a later model slant 6 from an early 70's car.I had it in this Valiant my wife was driving about 10 years ago.She got in a pretty bad accident and the thing was totaled so I parted it out.Some 80 year old guy not paying attention just made a left at a fairly good speed right into her and that was it.

So,yesterday we got that motor running again for the first time in 10 years.She started right up and runs like a top ! Now we can continue tweeking that Barracuda so Steve can start driving her.My wagon is next.Bought a set of good used quarter panels last week on line.They should be here soon and then we will do all the rust repair on her.Plan is to do all the body & paint on my wagon first to sharpen our skills and them do a real nice job on the Barracuda. I like doing body & paint work and am good at it but it's been over 10 years since the last one so we practice on the wagon before doing the resto quality work on the Cuda . 20 years ago I sectioned in quarters on my wagon.Made them out of 65 Barracuda quarters. They lasted 20 years so I can't complain.Now it's that time again and I'll be doing this same job all over.So you see,it isn't like I'm clueless as to how to do this major surgery on my baby !

I'm psyched ! Finally,this car is getting the repairs she deserves . Took my wagon up to my camp last week and she used 3/4 rs of a quart of oil in the 1000 miles that I put on her.Not bad for a 53 year old motor that has never been rebuilt .These cars are rare these days,Most of them have been crushed.Sure glad I saved this one.
My Fall Trip Up To Camp 2018

My Ride Up To The Adirondacks

So, here I am out in my bunker in the woods of Northern New York .Rode up from Long Island Saturday and have been riding and enjoying myself since.It’s a cold and rainy day here today .It’s Tuesday the 25th of September.The ride up was a good one.It started out with worry about the bike.Five miles into the trip at 4:45 AM the bike missed.It was only a quick buck but then it did it again a few minutes later and one more time when I hit a bump.I almost turned back but something inside me said it’s nothing, probably some bad gas and I continued on to the ferry to Bridgeport CT. Once on the other side of the LI Sound I hit some good road and for the next seven hours the bike ran great and is still doing so.Sometimes you just have to roll with this shit.
 Got to my camp around two thirty in the afternoon and found it just as I had left it a month ago when I was up on my Moto Guzzi 850-T. As I was setting up my neighbors stopped by to say hello .It’s a nice feeling knowing some people here again.I used to have friends here but they have all either moved away or died so for the past few years I have been alone up here while doing my thing.I like being alone so it’s not a problem for me but I also like being with people and it’s good to be making some new friends here again. Here is my old friend Cosmic Bob taken when I rode out west on my Moto Guzzi  in Montana where he settled.

This guy used to own 30 acres across the road from me.He was a logger and taught me how to use a chain saw, hunt grouse, and we built a log cabin together with these two high school kids he knew who also became good friends. Bob and I cut all the trees ,skinned them ,and skidded them to the site using a small three wheeler, and a tractor where we could . Ah, the good old days in The Falls .They all moved on.

Last year in 2017 on July 4th I was here and had my 1971 Yamaha R5B with me. Brought it up in my old ’71 ChevyC20 truck with my kayak .I was out riding it when I went into the coffee shop in Potsdam NY to get online and check my emails.I’m sitting there when this old guy comes up to me and declares “ It has to be you” I look up with a puzzled look and he explains that he was talking about me being the owner of that beautiful Yamaha outside.  So, we talked bikes for about twenty minutes and went on with our lives.
 I needed gas for the bike and there is a station across the street from the coffee shop so I went there.As I was walking back to my bike after getting my change from the clerk inside I see this guy on a dirt bike checking out my Yamaha.We started talking bikes, the government, and all this other crap for about fifteen minutes when he asks me if I want to go for a ride with him.He explains he lives near by and has a whole bunch of bikes so I should follow him and he’ll show me his collection while he switches bikes.It turns out he’s another one like myself with ten or more bikes to ride all from different time periods ! So, he introduces me to his wife ,tells her we are going out riding and off we went on a 120 mile ride all over the  western part of the Adirondacks. I made a friend ! After the ride we exchanged emails and phone numbers and I was on my way.

Now it’s 2018 and it’s July.I come up and we get together for a day of riding.This time I show him my part of the world up here to the east. I was on the Moto Guzzi and he was on a new Moto Guzzi Stornello .We had a great ride and a great lunch at this place he knew about over in Saranac Lake. Now it’s September and we are trying to workout a day to ride again to someplace nice.May go on Thursday if he’s free or some day next week.This trip I’ll be here a while so I’m sure we will get a ride in together.As for me, I ride every day it’s not raining.I had good weather Saturday on the ride up,Sunday to ride and get supplies, and yesterday on Monday to get more supplies after going riding  for a hundred miles thru the woods on backroads.This  K100 loves these backroads.It’s a different bike up here in the country than it is at home in the suburbs of New York City. Here she can breath . There is no traffic ,no stop signs, no lights, just open road with very few cars.I’M LOVING IT !

Next Day

Yesterday it rained most of the day.Did stuff around the camp and kept a fire going in the stove to keep the dampness at bay.Managed to get a shower during one of the short dry spells .Cold showers are the norm here.The stream is ice cold but warms up some when it rains  so I got a not so freezing shower. Being off the grid is good but there is a price to pay. I use stream water for my utility water. I pump it with a small pump that I run off a 2100 watt generator.Usually I take gas from the motorcycle when I’m up on 2 wheels if the can is empty.It’s kinda hard to cary five gallons of gas in a can on a bike but with the “K “ I don’t want to be sticking that syphon tube into the tank and run the risk of fucking up some wires or hoses . Today I got lucky and my neighbor brought me into town with him and I filled the can so now I’m good for the rest of this trip as far as fuel for the generator goes . This is rainy day stuff ,dealing with these chores that suck up time that I don’t want to waste on nice days when I can be riding.Tomorrows forecast is for blue Skys and temps in the 60’s F so you know what I’ll be doing. For now though it’s chores.Gonna run the generator and do the breakfast dishes while I’m also charging the 12v car battery I run my stereo with , this computer & iPod will also get charged some. I have the place set up sort of like a boat . Kerosene lamps 12v radio . It works for me.So far the bike has been treating me well and the next couple days she will be out there running down the road up here in the North Country of New York. Soon the leaves will be changing and it will be all colors everywhere I ride. Can’t wait !

The Ninth Day

Now it’s October 2nd and I’ve been here for nine days. The colors are amazing ! Been riding lots on the days it’s not raining. Yes ,it’s been raining lots , pretty much every other day or two it will rain for two days then clear for a day then rain for two more days.Climate change in action . Today is the second day I’m  spending in my bunker here in the woods because of this last bout of wetness.Wasn’t so bad the other times ‘cause it would let up for a few hours and I did stuff like cut fire wood and whatnot but this time it’s a steady heavy rain.I had to disconnect my water pump down at the stream before out of fear the stream will overflow it’s banks and ruin it. Moved it to higher ground until the stream drops .It’s rising fast now.There is a small lake that has backed up at my bridge .Ah, this is life on a motorcycle out in the woods of Northern New York State.It’s always a challenge  and I kind of like that.

The bike is treating me well.I went out riding with my friend Rick last week, rode a few days alone, and now tomorrow we are supposed to ride again.The forecast is for clearing overnight and partly sunny tomorrow so we have a day.Thursday the shit weather returns as a cold front moves across and Friday is dry again. The weekend is all rain so I’m going to make a break for it and head south towards home on Friday morning.There is no point sitting here in the woods alone just burning up wood and hanging out.It’s been nice being alone but I have had enough for now.I kind of thrive on it but when I can’t go out and ride and just sit here day after day it gets old.It wouldn’t be bad at all if I had my painting supplies with me .I used to paint when I came up  on days like this but when I gutted the building three years ago to begin the fix up that stuff left.Gotta remember to bring an easel ,a few canvases ,and my oils up next time I come in a 4 wheel vehicle.

.So, now I start to plan my ride south towards home.I’m thinking of taking back roads and possibly camping in the Catskills somewhere. Yeah , I’ll take NY RT 30 south instead of the ride across the mountains to the east to the interstate. 30 is a good road on a bike and goes right thru the Adirondacks and the Catskills .That puts me a couple hours from the ferry across the LI Sound to Port Jefferson and home.Maybe I’ll get lucky and ride out of this wet pattern of weather we are stuck in up here in the Adirondacks, , maybe not . My little NOAA radio  will tell me that story when I get down south.
 I’ve been able to run the K on NON ETHANOL FUEL  ! What a difference. My gas mileage went way up, maybe 10% or more and the bike is way smoother. All that bucking at low speeds has gone away.It must be that fucking alcohol they dump into our fuel here in the US that is the cause of that.Can’t get this good fuel in the populated areas like the burbs of New York City where I live most of the time.My other bikes aren’t as sensitive to it but this bike is the exception. Must be the computer controls and the effect they have on the A/F mixture.All I know is that as of now the K 100 has passed the test ! She’s not only a keeper but she’s the bike that is going to take me all over North America next year.Now that I have made this decision I feel comfortable buying the rest of the parts I need to make her the machine to get that trip done.Gonna start with the cooling system. Then after I recover from the sticker shock from that it’s a new mono shock.I also want to lube the splines.I think I’ll do the splines soon and get that behind me because it’s a no dollar job.Seems like a lot of work to get at them but like everything , once you do it it is easier the next time so I’m going to dive in and use up that tube of Honda Moly I did the Moto Guzzi with the last time.
 I love making plans for the future even though most times they get changed. Well time to shut this down for now.Gotta cook some lunch on the wood stove.It’s probably grilled cheese today but I have a real good dinner planned for this evening that I actually began making last evening.Tomorrow I ride .
Now It’s Later

The weather forecast has changed somewhat .It’s about 8PM now and I have started rethinking my plans to travel.Tomorrow is now starting off as cloudy and foggy with some afternoon clearing .At 2PM it was a different forecast of partly sunny and dry.Thursday is supposed to be cloudy and dry in the morning with a 50% chance of afternoon showers.Friday is still looking OK but I’m just sitting here dead in the water . I’m thinking I may head south tomorrow late morning and get as far as I can get before dark to put some distance between me and this shitty weather.Looks like I’ll have to skip riding with my friend Rick.Well, I’ll make the decision in the morning.I may stay tomorrow, cut some firewood ,and go riding a little in the afternoon with Rick.Gotta see what develops .It’s no fun traveling thru the mountains in 50 degree F rain so if I can avoid that I will.It’s always a crap shoot up here this time of year.Last year it was incredible but I was in a car with my wife not on a motorcycle .Had fun hiking and exploring but I was chomping at the bit to get out and ride thru the countryside while the trees were exploding in color .So, tomorrow morning will tell the story . I’ll see what the weather is and make the call then.

The Last Full Day

 Got a forecast for good weather Friday again this morning so I guess I can believe it.It’s been raining her for days now.The woods are very wet and the stream is full so when we get a downpour it backs up causing me to move my little 120v water pump .The cold showers are kind of nice actually.At first they seem brutal but after one or two of them I get used to them.Got one last night between rain showers.Got to ride into Potsdam yesterday too ! Whew, it sure felt good to ride after being caged up in my cabin for two days.The ride was to get some needed supplies so I could wait out this crappy weather.I have to buy my drinking and cooking water now that the nazi’s in the state government closed every spring in the state last year.For 40 years I got my drinking water down the road from a spring that the whole town used.That water was incredible.I used to bottle it and bring it home by the case so I could have it down in the city. But, those bastards seem to think they know what is best for the rest of us.Bullshit ! Is what I say to that.So anyway I rode the 25 miles to Potsdam where the food coop is and got another gallon  of water and enough food to make it thru one extra day.It was misting out ,not wet enough for the rain gear but wet enough to use my little windshield wiper I put on my thumb.Now the bike is all gased up and ready to go tomorrow morning.I’m pretty much packed up with just what I need left to put into the bags.This afternoon I board up the windows so I don’t have to waste time in the morning, put away the water equipment, close up the barn and clean the place some.In the morning it’s just the beading ,breakfast dishes, and packing the bike with my gear before I put the board over the door. It’s always a sad time for me to leave. I love it here but living here is impossible .The weather is too fucked up, there isn’t enough days to ride, winter starts way too soon and drags on until sometime in April ,then, the black flies attack for a month.So,I come and visit when I can and try to bring a bike if I don’t ride one up like this time.Actually I prefer to bring a smaller bike like my 1971 Yamaha R5B up in my truck rather than riding up and being trapped here on rainy days. This trip has reenforced that belief. It gets mighty lonely out here in the woods alone for days on end.I do like it but after a while it gets to be too much.I’m not at that point yet but I can see it looming on the horizon .Tomorrow I ride ! I have a cold night ahead of me with frost in the morning but by 10AM it will be warm enough to hit the road and sunny.I’ll probably get down into the Hudson River Valley area by late afternoon, set up camp in a state park and finish up the trip the next morning. Called home yesterday and my wife looked on the weather for me.What she says is Friday and Saturday will be sunny with temps in the high 60’s F down state so I’ll be heading into better weather .
 It has been a good trip.The bike has treated me well and I had lots of fun on those days I got out on her. The ride tomorrow thru the mountains should be a good one with lots of Fall leaves showing their colors off all over the place  and as I head south it will start to return to late summer and green. Fall is my favorite time.It’s the colors , they always inspire me to paint .Sure hope that happens this year.You see, coming up here extends that season by almost a full month.I’ll be at the beach next week swimming and paddling around in my kayak waiting for Fall to catch up with me . She will and when she does I’ll be riding out to Eastern Long Island  after all the crowds of pumpkin pickers are gone .Our leaves at home change in the beginning of November. Our weather is also much better for riding but the price for that better weather is millions of idiots in SUV’s totally distracted with their devices or putting on make up in the rear view mirror while piloting a 7000 lb  Lincoln Navigator down the interstate at 75 or 80 MPH. Some of them read newspapers while they are driving.It’s a scary place to ride a motorcycle. Can’t wait to move to the desert in Arizona ! I want to spend my last days riding the west. I turn 70 in April .I’m still in good health and fit. If I can I want to ride right out of this asylum and skip the medical professions bullshit.So,I need a warmer climate where I can head to the mountains to escape the heat and be far enough south to escape the cold.South east Arizona fits that bill. I’ll have to sell my camp here in Northern New York to pull this off .This will be one of the hardest things I will ever have to do.

Home

The trip down from St Regis Falls went as planned and was a good ride.I started getting ready the day before on Thursday. Worked all day packing up, got the building all boarded up except for the door, got the water equipment all stowed away, the bags all packed and so on so in the morning it would be an easy exit. It was a cold last night in the place.Had to keep a fire going all night because as it cleared the temps dropped down into the lower 30’s F . Got up early but it was way too cold to ride so I took my time ,made a good breakfast, packed the bike and by 10:30 I was ready to hit the road. Once the sun got up into the sky it warmed up and it was a real nice ride across the Adirondacks towards the southeast. The leaves were peaking and there was color all over the place from my camp all the way down to Lake George 3 hours away. The road was my own . I love traveling on a weekday in October, the roads are empty ! As I made my way south the green returned to the trees and once into the Hudson River Valley south of Albany  it was like a time warp back into late summer.
 Spent the night at a state park south of Reinbeck . The place was pretty full but it was OK for a stop over. I met this couple who had this great tent .I’m looking for a real good tent for my trip out west next summer so I was glad to actually meet someone  I could talk with about one. I think I found what I’m looking for.
 Here is a link to it:  https://www.campmor.com/b/marmot-limelight-4-tent After leaving the park and starting on my final ride to home the bike did a strange thing.It just quit  as I was going down the road at 50 mph I flipped the kill switch back & forth and she came back to life.Must have moved it ever so slightly when starting I guess. Then, a mile or two down the road it did it again . I flipped it back & forth again and all was good again . That was the end of it and it ran great  to home. Funny how it acted up at the beginning and the end of the trip but ran GREAT for the 2500 miles I covered in between. I think that kill switch was the cause of the first 3 misses when I started out as well now that I  am thinking about it.Sometimes you just have to roll with this shit to figure it out !

This is the tent I want for my cross country trip next summer in 2019 . I think this will keep me and my gear good and dry. This was the final test ride to decide if I can use this bike next summer and it passed with flying colors !

Now in 2019.
I spent lots of time up at my camp this summer.Went kayaking in the Santa Clara Flow and on the East Branch of the St Regis River and over in a place near Saranac Lake called Jones Pond.

First Trip Up To My Camp

Already been home for over a week now but haven't written about my great trip up to Northern New York yet.It all started with fixing up the little 1965 Valiant Station Wagon . Got her all ready to go and packed her up.Strapped my kayak to the roof and got the 6AM boat across the LI Sound on Saturday .The trip up was smooth with the car running great and good weather. Everything was as I left it back in October the last time I was up and I jumped right in setting the place up for my stay.The only work I had planned was to buy and cut new boards to cover the windows and doors . Last  Fall when I was there on the BMW K100 I had a real hard time hanging them when I was packing up to head home.They were all water logged from a few years of use and very mushy and heavy so new ones were needed. Aside from this small amount of work the rest of the trip was vacation time to be spent in my kayak .

My first river was just down the road from my camp about a 5 minute drive. The Santa Clara Flow . It's a section on the St Regis River that is nice flat water for a few miles back into a wilderness area.It was a great paddle that was about an hour and a half up river and then back with the flow. I figured I went about 3/4th way up to where the first rapids are.Next time I'll start earlier and go the distance.Here are a bunch of photos from this wonderful place

 What a great afternoon this was.I was out there all alone with nature and it was amazing.Heard some bull frogs croaking ,saw a great blue heron ,a couple hawks and some fish in the water that were good size.
 Spent the next day doing the chores like getting the plywood and going to the food co op .It was a rainy day so it was time well spent getting the chores finished.Things at my camp are good.I like being there all alone.Gives me time to think and get my bearings . Had plenty of music to listen too on my MP3 player that I run thru a car stereo into speakers.It's kinda cool living off the grid up there.The pump worked good so I had cold showers at will which came in real handy on the hot days.The generator worked good so I had electricity to charge the 12v car battery I run the stereo with and the water pump . Had to light the wood stove one morning  but only that one time this trip. It was really beautiful weather. The next river I did was the east branch of the St Regis River over by Everton Falls off the Red Tavern Rd. I like this place .Been here a few times and always enjoy it.It's flat water up stream for a good ways then I turn around and let the river take me back.Lots of twists and turns on this river and it's not wide like the other place so there is more current.Met a group traveling down stream from a few miles up stream from my turn around point.They walked the rapids and had cars waiting down where I put in.Nice people .After a brief chat I was on my way back into the woods

As I got upstream some I came across an old beaver lodge and just a little farther a dam they built to make a pond in the wet lands.

This was another good afternoon of paddling. It is so relaxing being out in nature like this. Quiet and peaceful , no people , no cars , and so much beauty my brain almost shorts out .

The next day I went to a lake over near Paul Smiths called Jones Pond.It was another very nice place.Lots of fish jumping and again,very private but public land there to be enjoyed.Met these two women just finishing up their time out on the water.They loved my old Valiant Station Wagon. Had a nice conversation with them and in the water I went.

The rest of my time was spent at my camp relaxing and just enjoying my little piece of paradise . It was a very restful and enjoyable time for me this time.The car never missed a beat,the weather was really good,and I was happy to be out in the woods again at my camp.

The Fall trip was ok. I got some nice days and had some rain.I cleaned out the area in the cabin where I had the siding piles so I can use it as a painting studio again.All the generator woes have been solved .

Still Alive And Kicking

Been neglecting my blog for some reason.Maybe it's just because it's summer or who knows but here I am now updating it. Been working lots doing some construction over at a friends house.It's ok,I go when I want and take off when I want to go up to my camp so it works for me.Got the splines lubed in my BMW a few weeks ago. She shifts real good and now I don't need to worry about that anymore for a while.The Moto Guzzi parts bike is almost stripped I'm still trying to free up the bottom front motor mount bolt and coming to the conclusion I will have to cut and drill it out.It's rusted solid in place.Heat , oil, nothing works.I put a 3 foot long bar on the wrench and that wouldn't budge it so it gets cut & drilled out.I bought the new clutch for my Moto Guzzi 850-T and am going to start the installation job this weekend .I miss my bike ! Haven't ridden her since the late Spring. Been using my 2 strokes a lot this summer .They are lots of fun so I'm still getting lots of ride time in.Fixed up my wagon back in June.Got new tires ,brakes,a full tune up,anti freeze change,rear end fluid check ,trans fluid top off a new axle seal on one side ,and an oil & filter change. Oh yeah,I also rebuilt the carb and gave it a new air filter and new spark plugs.She runs like a top.Took her up to my camp in July and again in August.She didn't miss a beat.Brought the kayak and went exploring .That is always fun.Heading back up sometime after the 20th of September for a two week stay. Got the place all cleaned up and started working on the windows. Going to finish up the outhouse this trip too ( I hope). Life has been good to me this past few months.Had to put on a new roof on the flat roof over the two back rooms in our house here in Long Island when I returned from my last trip. Came home to water dripping from the ceiling into a bucket on the floor from a roof leak. Finished that job about two hours ago just before this latest bout of rain so luck was with me.Well,that's the condensed version of my life these past two months or so. Now I'll try to update and write as things happen with some photos too.

And in the Fall  the trip was also good but the weather was going south real fast . I'm sure glad I was in a car  this year.

An Update Of Sorts

Well lets see, I guess this starts up in the Adirondacks on my August trip to my camp.It was a good trip ,went kayaking lots and did work on the place cleaning out my studio area so I can paint again while I'm there.Near the end of that trip I was working on the windows getting them preped to re-glaze the panes of glass and then painted. I wanted this done and ready so on my Fall trip I could actually glaze and prime .Got them scraped and clean when I decided to quit for the day and make dinner after a nice cold shower.Fired up the generator and soon discovered it wasn't making electricity . Spent the next hour and a half taking it apart to see if I could do an easy repair in the field.No luck ! At that point I decided I would head home the next morning and began to pack things up. Never did have a real dinner,just a grilled cheese sandwich .

Back in July I found a Moto Guzzi parts bike for a hundred bucks .I jumped on it and when I returned from this August trip began to strip it while I was figuring out what was wrong with my little generator. I ordered a bridge rectifier , new brushes went in ,still no power so I pulled the actual generator apart from the motor and yanked out the armature. I found a broken wire from the field to one of the two slip rings the brushes ride on. This is why she wasn't making electricity ! Fixed that put it all back together with the new parts I ordered and she worked like a charm. Then I got a kit to rebuild the leaking carburetor and fixed that so when I took it upstate I'd have reliable power.

Kept on striping the bike and doing the yard work over at my friends house until it was time to head north again in the last week of September.

I ordered a new clutch for my Moto Guzzi  as well. It has been down with a bad clutch since spring and I missed my old friend. Decided I'd do the clutch job when I returned from my camp in October. The trip up to camp went well.My little 1965 Valiant station wagon did just fine as I expected it would. The weather was good at first but then the rain started in. I had my paints and my little studio area all set up so I started working on a painting

I had a good trip,It got cold near the end and I had to cut down three dead trees for firewood .I had the stove going pretty good for a few days .One night it got down to 22 degrees F  but I was warm as toast with that wood stove burning that wood I cut.The ride home was pleasant ,no problems and I made good time.When I returned I dove into the Moto Guzzi clutch replacement job.It's never easy,it always expands,and it always is a battle that I win after a sometimes rather long fight. This job was no different.After a week of fooling with this it was finished and on Saturday I rode it out to the bike shop and had her inspected so she's legal. Had a couple bugs to get rid of not related to the clutch  so Saturday night I did that . Sunday I took her out for a three hour test ride under all conditions. I went slow ,I hit the interstate and went fast ,I worked her and she never missed a beat !

Now I'm here on this rainy day back in Long Island fixing up a friends shed for him. Got rained out today so I'm writing this long overdue blog post. Things are good with me but I sure miss the woods and cooking my breakfast on the fire out back. It will be June before I get to have the pleasure of having my coffee while cooking pancakes on the camp fire again !

So there you have it ,the story of my camp fix up and my time there since 2015 all in one post. It's too bad I lost what I originally posted,it was way more interesting but it is what it is..
Now it's almost Thanksgiving 2019 .My Moto Guzzi is back in service, the BMW is still working good , and I'm getting my truck and my 76 Dodge Aspen back in service to use for winter.With any luck that will be done by mid week this week and I can finally get to the restoration work on my little 65 Valiant station wagon that I have been putting off for way too long.