Wrist Twisters

Wrist Twisters - Blogs http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/ Motorcycle forum community for riders of all experience levels. Come ride with us. en Fri, 18 May 2012 09:21:14 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/images/sk/misc/rss.jpg Wrist Twisters - Blogs http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/ The return http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/the-return-343/ Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:08:15 GMT So it's been a year since my last confession. Oh wait, this isn't a confession at all. It's been a year since I was last in North Carolina. It's been a years worth of halfass planning, worry, fear, and doubt. But I'm here now, so all of that dumb shit is over with. There is a group of 11 (expected) to show up and share the experience which I am hoping to catch on video. Being one of the slower riders doesn't make it easy, but it's still somewhat doable. I'll frequently take off before everyone else, find a good corner and get setup to record. It's a bit chilly at The Treetops this morning, but its promising to be awesome this afternoon. I look forward to riding, even though my rearsets bit me in the back of the leg last night. ]]> beefsalad http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/the-return-343/ made a good start . http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/preacher009/made-a-good-start-342/ Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:22:46 GMT I got rightn into it started to take it to bits...:whistling: I got rightn into it started to take it to bits...:whistling:

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]]> preacher009 http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/preacher009/made-a-good-start-342/ 1997 gsf1200 bandit. http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/preacher009/1997-gsf1200-bandit-341/ Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:14:04 GMT :hello:*thought id share my project off to you all ,im a complete novise when it comes to mechanics hell i can just about spell.......i got knocked... :hello:thought id share my project off to you all ,im a complete novise when it comes to mechanics hell i can just about spell.......i got knocked off last year and the old girl got cat c right off so i took the chance to tart her up,i jumped to it using the hayes manual and spent alot of money on nice shiny bit for her......:eek:

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]]> preacher009 http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/preacher009/1997-gsf1200-bandit-341/ A follow up to an interesting possiblity. http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/a-follow-up-to-an-interesting-possiblity-340/ Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:35:24 GMT So i was considering leaving what I was doing (100% travel) for a 'work from home' gig at a huge loss in pay. Well, the 100% travel gig came to an end 6 months before I had hoped (I was going to pay cash for a used truck at that 6mo mark.) But I digress, this is not about the truck. My contractor lost their contract, and being a sub myself I lost mine too. I consider the work from home gig after I get the news, and find out that they are not hiring at the moment. Snake eyes. Fast forward to more recent times, and a recruiter calls me asking if I know of anyone looking for X type of work, which X has been my 'specialty' for the last few years. Being unemployed, I jump on it. It's 6 mo contract to hire. 0% travel, which means I get to keep my ass at home. Since it's salaried, they have comp time. Holy crap comp time. Not uncompensated overtime which has been the norm for me. In the last year I have went from t-shirt, shorts, and a flipflop to dressing for the weather, to business casual (next week.) Having never had to dress business casual, I'm not going to know what to do with myself! I can count the number of collared shirts I have on one hand, and have digits left over. I guess shopping is in order, one of my least favorite things to do. My 2 month long 'vacation' is nearing an end. I feel like I can once again spend money. At the same time, I feel like I've sold my soul. Why? Well, I went from working in small shops where everyone knows everyones name as well as their business, to a medium sized business that went public a couple of years ago. Things of course changed, and not always for the better, and turned me off to working for the company. Next week, I will be going to work (granted as a subcontractor) for the largest employer in the US. I guess the good news is the pay is good, I get benefits, the work is for sure there for the next 5 years, I know what I'm doing, I know people that work there, and I will be home every night. It's just up to me to put myself in the right mindset to work in the environment that I am about to step into. ]]> beefsalad http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/a-follow-up-to-an-interesting-possiblity-340/ A heck of a ride (in the dirt) http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/a-heck-of-a-ride-in-the-dirt-339/ Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:23:41 GMT I sponsored a buddy of mine at the dirt bike clubs lease (clubdbsa.org, in case anyone here in san antonio wants to do trail riding) yesterday and... I sponsored a buddy of mine at the dirt bike clubs lease (clubdbsa.org, in case anyone here in san antonio wants to do trail riding) yesterday and had a blast. There was a group of 8 or so on this ride. As usual, I had my camera(s) rolling, and caught some of the calamity on tape. The guy that knew the property best was leading us around. He was trying to cross a small (short and barely wider than a quad) and the mud sent him into the drink. Fortunately, we were able to pull his bike out. A short while later, my buddy fouls a plug. Fortunately, I carry a few tools and a couple of plugs on me when I'm playing in the dirt. A couple minutes later we were on our way again. Another sponsored riders bike was in sad shape. It was pissing gas out of his overflow tube from the beginning, and never stopped. He fouled the plug he came in on, a brand new one I gave him, and finally 'killed' the plug recycled from my buddies bike. Fortunately another one of the group was on a drz450 and was able to pull him back to camp. Amidst the calamity of the fouled plug, our group got seperated from each other. There was the main group, the guy with the fouled plug and his sponsor...and at one point me by myself. I ended up falling off in a corner and being pinned between my bike, the ground, and a branch stabbing me in the back of the leg. Fortunately the branch wasn't sharp, but it was hitting a tender spot. I was able to get both legs under the bike, and push it up enough to get out from under it. It's times like that, you really need a buddy behind you. Had my leg under the bike been another inch towards the back of the bike, I would have been stuck there, off of the main trail by just enough distance that I couldn't see it. I think I'll stick with the group from now on, unless I know for sure the path between the two. Where I screwed up was trying to be creative, instead of taking the known path. Oh well, live and learn! Yesterdays video will eventually get chopped up and published unless one of the other riders wants me to post the entire ride. On that note, time to research if youtube has an upload limit. I already have my max time limit removed, so I can do uber long videos if I so choose. ]]> beefsalad http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/a-heck-of-a-ride-in-the-dirt-339/ Bikes Bring People Together http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/cawoonache/bikes-bring-people-together-337/ Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:09:25 GMT This is my first blog entry. I just registered here at wristtwisters, on the recommendation of a fellow I don't even know. I will explain. My wireless router recently went tits up, and I had to buy a new one. I was having some difficulty getting it configured so I phoned the tech support line for my Internet service provider, and was connected to Mike.

Mike was friendly and helpful in assisting this old digital immigrant to get back online. The process involved several re-boots of a few different computers which gave us time to converse. During the course of the conversation the subject of motorcycles came up, and we were instantly connected. Mike told be all about his Honda 919, an awesome ride, and one I have admired since Big Red began bringing them stateside. Then Mike told me about the 919 he bought wrecked and is re-buildng for his wife. A very cool thing to do. There is BIG karma in resurrecting a crashed bike. Rather than letting it rust away in some junkyard or in someone's barn, he is breathing new life into a great machine that will soon help to bring he and his wife closer together. Who wouldn't admire that?

As we ended our call Mike mentioned this website as a great place to meet like-minded folks. I am looking forward to doing just that. And Mike, if you happen to read this, thanks for all your help and for pointing me to this website. ]]> Cawoonache http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/cawoonache/bikes-bring-people-together-337/ The Treetops http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/the-treetops-89/ Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:16:25 GMT Tonight basically culminates the end of my time spent at the treetops. Tomorrow afternoon I will load up my gear and bike onto a trailer, and start... Tonight basically culminates the end of my time spent at the treetops. Tomorrow afternoon I will load up my gear and bike onto a trailer, and start the 1100mi trek towards home. At that point I will unload my bike and head towards a friends house, have a few drinks and catch some Zzzzs before I make the final 200mi stretch home on the 9er.

This place has been simply amazing for my spirits. It has played home base to me since Saturday. While a little excitement does happen around here, the most fun for me has been out on the roads. From the Tail of the Dragon, to the Cherohala skyway, and the Moonshiner I have been having the time of my life, on 2 wheels. This trip has been a dream for a long time, this year it happened with a crew that I met on the internet.

This crew hails from Texas, NC, to St Kitts ]. We even a pair of canucks showed up. The hijinks and hell giving is much as it has been online for the past year or so. These guys are all much more experienced than I, and needless to say much faster.

One of the guys only stuck around for a couple of days, and I wish he could have stayed a lot longer. A hell of a nice guy (and native Texan) setup my suspension for me, and what a change it made! I wouldn't have known it, but the suspension was playing a considerable part in my challenge to pull a wheelie. It happened a few times the past few days, none of which were intentional. Yes, I was riding hard and it was bound to happen (sue me, I'm not the only one out here pushing limits :wings:) I'm not attacking these roads like I would in a more controlled situation (e.g. track) but there was definitely a level of riding that is atypical of my usual style on the street. Of course, out here there is an 11+mi stretch of road, with no cross traffic. From uphill open sweepers to off-camber decreasing radius downhill butthole puckering I feel like I have run the gamut of turn combinations.

This trip has certainly taken my mind off of damn near everything, which I really needed. I can't say that I have ever taken a vacation away from everything (family, pets, work, home, friends....) before now. I'm not saying I live a dramatic life, but it is nice to not have to worry about anything.

I'm going to close for now, more to come. Trying to adjust my sleep schedule for work, like the 16-18 hours of driving/sleeping ahead of me is going to help. :banghead:

Message originally posted by beefsalad on 05-04-2011 at 10:08 PM:. For some reason this was saved as a draft. You can expect a similar message (as the one above) to be posted about 5-4-2012 as it will be a yearly vacation for me. ]]> beefsalad http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/the-treetops-89/ An interesting possibility http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/an-interesting-possibility-334/ Mon, 14 Nov 2011 07:08:05 GMT So I'm already burnt out on my gig that is 100% travel, and have started looking for something that would keep me at home. A buddy of mine works for a web hosting company, and does so working from home. He's making considerably less than I am at my current gig, and considerably less than what I was making at the job I had before that. But, he was also locked up for 3 years, and only had a year or two of experience before that. I spent the last 4 years at one of the big 5 in the industry (in the US... not the world) so it looks really good on the resume. I've also spent the last 8 years in IT, so I've acquired a bit of knowledge. But, I digress. I'm not trying to compare penis sizes with him.

So it's a 'work from home' gig, that requires little more than some of my skillset, an internet connection, and a computer of some sort. I have a feeling between my tablet, my netbook, and my laptop I could easily meet the requirements. But, I'm leaning towards doing my job while "on the road". 4 hours here, 3 hours there...work my way from place to place, likely couchsurfing the entire way. I may have to setup a VPN to home, as they base some things off of your IP address, but what they don't know certainly won't hurt them. It's been a few years since I've worked in a customer facing position, but when I was doing that line of work I did it well. What I did not do well, was deal with it. I had no release, and didn't know the mind could be cleared. I've grown considerably since then. I won't say that I've got the mind clearing skills that a buddhist monk has, but I do have a motorcycle and have trained myself to focus on the ride, no matter what is on the mind (assuming it's not so difficult, that I'm upset by it.)

The idea came about just a few hours ago, and now I am up past my bedtime considering it. The last week for this job will pay really well, but it's not consistent. The paycheck before, was a whopping $537. This company is desperate for employees, and has the possibility for overtime. Sounds like stability to me. I look forward to adding some saddle bags to the 9er and hitting the road with no destination in mind. Stay tuned, to see how it works out! ]]> beefsalad http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/an-interesting-possibility-334/ <![CDATA[Damnit Jim, it wasn't epic! Even worse, I'm now frustrated!]]> http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/damnit-jim-it-wasnt-epic-even-worse-im-now-frustrated-333/ Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:38:17 GMT We didn't hit the sand hills, only the trails closest to my brothers house. It was still fun, but having not been on the dirt bike in 4 months, I tired quickly but kept riding anyway. We both made it home in one piece, neither of us even dumped our bikes (pretty sure that's terrible english, sorry.)

After reevaluating my schedule, riding today would not have been a good idea. I fly out tomorrow morning, and have next to no clean clothes at the moment. Home now doing l laundry and waiting for my pet-sitters TO ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE. Talked to them last night, and they were like "keep us informed on where you are so we will be home"

Texted them this morning, "I'll be home by 6, will be ready to drop the dog off shortly after" No reply, his phone goes straight to voicemail, hers rings 3 times, then drops to voicemail. I'm being picked up at 10am, and they are rarely out of bed before noon on the weekend. I would feel really bad just dropping my dog off in their back yard, but I may not have a choice.

Why have a cellphone, if you never fucking answer it? ]]> beefsalad http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/damnit-jim-it-wasnt-epic-even-worse-im-now-frustrated-333/ Last Real Ride of the Year? http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/ottawa919/last-real-ride-of-the-year-332/ Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:02:58 GMT I had some business this week at a town called Perth which is about an hour from home. I suspected that I might be able to finish the business... I had some business this week at a town called Perth which is about an hour from home. I suspected that I might be able to finish the business mid-afternoon and then have time to hit this nice roads out that way.

It was around freezing in the morning on the way there. The first half hour I was fine, but then my right fingertips got cold and I got a bit of a chill.

By 3PM when I hit the road again it was about 10 degrees Celsius, just fine when well layered up like I was.

I chose to retrace some of the route that I did in the Fall Epic ride. During that ride I had noted a sign at the side of the road in a narrow, dirt road section of Lally Road, near Murphey's Point, just in from Narrows Lock Road. We went by it too quick to see what it said, but I was able to read, "Seven Wonders...". I was intrigued, so I decided to go back to check it out.

It turned out that it was an old mica mine site. It was a 2.5 km return hike wearing my full gear, but it was worth it. Here are some pictures:

I got really sweaty under the gear on this hike and late in the ride home I paid the price as it made the cold worse as the temperatures fell.

Until that last part of the ride it was really great. The scenery was awesome and there was very little traffic on most of the roads. It was neat to see how much more was viewable from the road since a month ago when the trees were still holding many of their leaves.

Here's a few more shots from the ride:

I suspect that this will have been my last real ride of the year and I'm glad I had the chance to get out. It's going to be a long 5 months without riding... ]]> Ottawa919 http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/ottawa919/last-real-ride-of-the-year-332/ <![CDATA[Damnit Jim, I'm excited!]]> http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/damnit-jim-im-excited-331/ Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:48:57 GMT Going to be parting ways from the 9er for over a week, but I'll be hanging out with my cr250 for a couple of weekends, then dragging it back home with me. I look forward to the rides to come, hate the rides I'm going to miss here, and am most certainly nervous as hell about the whole thing. My Audi was totaled and my S-10 has 227k on it. It has certainly seen it's better days. It's going to have to carry me 800mi round trip. This trip sort of has to occur. I'm an independent contractor, and without a reliable car am shit out of luck for work from my primary contractor. This trip is to pick up my dog that my brother has been watching for me for the past few months and to pick up my dirt bike. It's going to be longer than originally anticipated, as I will have a little bit of work (paying at about 30% of what I normally get) while out at my brothers house. The deal with getting paid only 30% of what I normally make, is at least I will be getting paid. For the last week and a half I haven't had a damn thing to do besides apply for jobs, ride the 9er, eat, sleep, and shit. I'm not complaining but none of those pay the bills. So here I sit, ~4hrs from departure unable to sleep. Why? I know I'm forgetting something. I swear there is something here at my house I have been meaning to take to my brothers for the last year but keep forgetting. History will probably repeat itself. We will be out doing something and I'll exclaim DAMNIT JIM! My brother will look at me weird as hell (his name is not Jim, and he does not get the reference) and I will have to explain to him what a dumb ass I am. Such is life. I guess I should be used to it by now. Hopefully I'll post up some pictures, if not some video of us tearing it up. Either in the dunes or on some single track. ]]> beefsalad http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/damnit-jim-im-excited-331/ Fender Eliminator Kit Installed http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/sociallyawkwardpenguin/fender-eliminator-kit-installed-330/ Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:09:00 GMT Within a week of bringing home my '07 919 I'd had enough of the stock rear fender. Bleh! I bought the Competition Werkes Fender Eliminator Kit and now the bike is starting to look like something I would ride. lol My only complaint is that the connectors that come with the kit are really cheap so I used my own. Otherwise it's a good looking addition (or reduction, as you could say) to a sharp bike.
Before

After

]]> SociallyAwkwardPenguin http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/sociallyawkwardpenguin/fender-eliminator-kit-installed-330/ Getting reacquainted http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/getting-reacquainted-329/ Wed, 19 Oct 2011 03:24:43 GMT After having spent nearly 4 months on the road in my cage, I could not wait to get back in the saddle. I new my baby was in the garage, full of gas... After having spent nearly 4 months on the road in my cage, I could not wait to get back in the saddle. I new my baby was in the garage, full of gas and sitting on the battery tender waiting for me upon my arrival. I no sooner than walked through the door and threw my gear on the ground, called my folks to let them know I had made it home, than I found myself in the garage doing my pre-flight check. Granted, I took a shortcut or two, I wasn't planning on a marathon ride. Oil level checked out fine, tank was full, tires responded with a solid thud when kicked, chain was within eyeball tolerances. Off I go for some food. Things were as I expected. I was excited as hell to be on her, but showed her the respect she deserved else she'd kill me in a heart beat. Just a quick trip to grab some food and back. Enough to appease me for a little while. Back to the house to unpack and prepare for my next trip. 300mi of "I HATE THIS DRIVE" for a days worth of work, back home for a few days, then the same dreaded trip for yet again only a days worth of work. Now I have some real time to focus on my baby. She's gotten the full once over. Tires are properly filled and balanced (there is a whole other story there.) The chain is tensioned properly, the bugs still where I left them months ago.

My first adventure took me mostly north. I ended up at the Canyon Lake Dam, but didn't find the inspiration to get off of the bike and enjoy the lake. The sun was going down, and it's getting to be that time of year where the deer start getting stupid. I turned back and started towards town taking my usual routine. "The sun is over there, so I should need go that way." I'm always assuming the road continues in the direction it starts. I found myself at the corner of some "Farm to Market" road (it's a texas thing, look it up if you don't know) and an unmarked road. A BBQ joint was on one corner, and having not touched Texas barbeque in a while, I couldn't resist the urge to stop. The lady running the place was quite nice. She even let me sample some of the other meats that I did not order, without asking. I started to realize that the sun was dropping out of the sky quicker than I anticipated so I whip out the phone in search of "the path" home. Not necessarily the fastest, but I didn't want to get all twisted around and find myself at the base of the lake again. Low and behold, river road looks to be on the twisty side of things, and my phone puts me close to it. I consult with the lady in the BBQ stand and she confirms, I'm less than 150' into it, but into it regardless. 14 miles of "ohh lala" that I find out is more relaxing than balls of fun. You see river road criss crosses one of the largest tourist attractions in the area several times. During peak season, there are drunken assholes as far as the eye can see down the river. Mostly tourists, or at least people that are not truly locals. Very little respect for mother nature, even less respect for the people that live on the river, let alone each other. But, I digress. That little tirade was to inform as to why the speed limit is a maximum of 30mph for the entire 14mi. It drops to 20 at the river crossings. Alas, still one of my new favorite spots to ride! Why? Theres some scenery, enough signs to make me mad, but the ride is slow as can be without a single stop for the entire stretch. It twists and turns. At some points you forget that you are in a tourist trap, but in other places it slaps you in the face. Bah to the point Beef, TO THE POINT! I like it because, I find it to be a very relaxing ride! I can totally get lost on the way out there and find plenty of trouble to get myself into. But that's just it. Knowing the way the LEO are in this area, if they bust you doing what is "the most fun", you are going to jail and you are getting towed. Here, I play by the rules. I'm confident the locals appreciate it, even though I have yet to run into any type of LEO out there I'm sure they do as well.

I'm riding my bike for pretty much everything at this point. I can take the truck, but with 225k miles, a crappy stereo, and no airconditioning I would rather just take the bike. It works for just about everything besides grocery shopping, even that could be overcome. I'm slowly gaining my confidence back, as I get used to how it reacts to the different situations. She still runs like a top as I knew she would. The one thing I was worried about was the lack-luster performance of the front end. Before I left on my trip, I knew it was there, I felt it, and I bought the parts to hopefully correct it but I never got to it. Then I left. Well, I'm back and I'm feeling it again. I'm just having a hard time forcing myself to tear into it and do the work. I'm also due for a valve check. But...but... I missed my baby!

I guess it's coming to that time where I am going to have to force myself to cage around for a little while, assuming it takes me more than a day for these projects. I guess I could give her a bath too, she deserves it. She treats me better than any women I've had in my life, I should treat her with the same respect.

Yes, I'm still talking about my 919 here. ]]> beefsalad http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/beefsalad/getting-reacquainted-329/ Fall Walk with the Kids http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/ottawa919/fall-walk-with-the-kids-327/ Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:54:24 GMT There's a nice forest three blocks from our home. Every time I go there I realize that I don't take advantage of the peace and tranquility that it offers.

It really is a nice spot with lots of trees, a few small creek valleys and man made storm water reservoirs which attract a lot of ducks and geese.

I went for a walk with the kids there today. We are having record-breaking hot weather this weekend, so it was a great day for a walk.

The highlight for the kids was finding a cool toad and taking turns holding him. I say he was cool not only because he looked cool, but also because he didn't pee on any of us!

I think I want to get myself a real camera. I have my Blackberry camera and we have a cheap point-and-shoot, but I think I want something a little better. My wife is a photographer and she owns two professional SLR's and a standard SLR. I don't want anything that big. The new mini-Pen's from Olympus look great and have future growth potential with interchangeable lenses. I think they are probably small enough to fit in my riding jacket too (a definite requirement). Something for the Christmas list.

]]> Ottawa919 http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/ottawa919/fall-walk-with-the-kids-327/ Early Morning Ride http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/ottawa919/early-morning-ride-326/ Sun, 09 Oct 2011 20:56:40 GMT It's Thanksgiving weekend up here in Canada. We get Monday off to celebrate. It's always a pretty busy weekend, so when my wife suggested that I go for a ride this morning I did!

I needed to be home by 10AM, so I got a real early start at sunrise. We are having summer weather this weekend which is a real nice treat. In fact the temperature today hit 27 (80) which breaks a 65 year record.

It was an amazing morning for a ride. There were almost no cars on the road, the air was comfortably crisp and calm and the rising sun was bright.

I chose a familiar route which covered some of the better back roads within an hour of home. Being somewhat alone out there I chose a comfortable, quick pace with moderately spirited speeds in the corners.

Being alone gave me the luxury to stop frequently to explore the side streets of some of the small towns that I would normally zip through. I also stopped at a few scenic spots for cell phone pictures, posted below.

3/4 of the way in I chose a particularly nice turn and took multiple passes at it, getting progressively quicker and smoother. I also took some nice sweeper sections at a good pace. When I got home I noticed that I managed to scrub off several more mm of my chicken strip, even though I had my body properly positioned on the inside of the bike to reduce lean and to save some tire.

During the ride I thought to myself that I need to make a point of doing more early morning, Sunday rides next year. It's a great time to ride!

]]> Ottawa919 http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/blogs/ottawa919/early-morning-ride-326/