The last day of riding was fairly uneventful. Lenny and I split up at Harlem, Montana. He went north and I went east. Other than being sort of cold and being very happy to be home, there is not really much to say about this day. So, let me end with a few final observations......
1. I wish I had a better "glasses breaking story".... like instead of running over them myself that I had broken them in some biker bar brawl. However, since the only bar that we went to was the gas bar, it was significantly harder to start a fight there.....
Me: "Hey buddy, what do you think about ethanol?"
Buddy: "I hate the stuff! It gums up carburetors and making it causes more damage to the environment that it saves"
Me: "Oh ya???? What don't you try coming over here and saying that? Huh, punk!!?? Huh????????"
I tried.... but it doesn't work.
2. You can get some really cheap hotels if you just look for them. Lenny was the man for this job. Most places we stayed were under $75 for the two of us AND they usually included a continental breakfast of some sort. Sometimes it was only toast and fruit, but it was something. Now, many of them did have a very funny smell..... some of them had unidentifiable stains on the carpet (and a few on the bedspread) but overall they served the purpose. Sari and I are never paying $120/night for a room again!!!! :)
3. Riding a bike changes things. You smell the clover in field as you go by. You feel the change in temperature as you drive from the warm plains into the cooler air of the valley. You experience the trip more because you are not sitting in a box of steel and glass. The biggest difference though...... people talk to you! I am not sure why that is but they do. From an older lady in the Wal-mart parking lot in Miles City ("You boys are a long way from home") to a big Harley biker dude in Rocker ("You guys are riding those metric bikes across the state??? Cool!!!" - turns out he had a ton of vintage bikes that he was restoring - An Indian, a BSA, etc. Interesting guy). I am not sure what it is but like Lenny said, "You could pull into a gas station on the interstate in a mini-van 3046743967 times and no one would say a word to you. Ride in on a bike - any sort of bike - and suddenly everyone wants to know where you came from, where you are going and how long you are on the road". It is weird, but true. (And carloads of girls don't generally scream at mini-van drivers either.... just saying).
4. Gas station hot dogs are gross!! They are even worse at 12:30 at night, when they are 1/2 cooked and cold. This is not an experience that I had, but I observed it. Lenny has an odd attraction to late night gas station hot dogs. Years ago when we went to a NASCAR race in Charlotte, North Carolina he bought one that was glowing red inside and he ate it (said it was good). The one he got in Belgrade on this trip..... not so good!!! Who would have guessed that though??? The thing has only been spinning on those rollers for 36970467 days (it was so shriveled up that it looked like a balloon with 1/2 the air taken out. Fortunately, I think it also tasted like rubber so at least the experience was consistent). Late night runs to the nearest gas station were a nightly occurrence on our trip because generally we ate breakfast, skipped lunch and then had a big supper. So by midnight or so your body starts screaming for something. Mine never screamed loud enough to make me eat a gas station hot dog though and I am not sure that it ever will.
5. It is nice that I get to do these trips with my brother. This is our third year now and each trip has been different, filled with challenges and fun. We will have some good memories when we are 82 (if we live that long). The credit for this has to go to our wives who graciously allow us to blow family holiday time and money on this silliness. Sari and I have had a lot of unexpected expenses this past summer and so I (several times) offered to cancel the trip and stay home. Each time she said, "No - you are going!" Now, that tells you not only how nice she is but also how big the insurance policy on me is. I think she was banking on the fact that Lenny and I would do something really dumb and she would cash in. Unfortunately, while we did lots of dumb things, no cheque was paid out. Sorry, Sari! We will try harder next time.
6. In the past, whenever something has gone wrong in our lives, Sari has said, "Well, it will be an adventure!" Usually, I HATE when she says that!!! It just makes me mad!!!! But you know what???? It is really true. Had Lenny and I left home and got back with no mishaps then we would not have many stories to tell. Like life in general, the stories come mostly from the unplanned parts. Like it or not at the time, those are the things you will remember and sometimes even laugh about later.
In the end, I think Chris Hadfield would have been proud of us. We were good astronauts who kept solving the next problem and got ourselves home (see the first post of this series if that made no sense to you). We had some help along the way (human and other I would say) but we made it.
I am already looking forward to next year's trip!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Pippus Brothers Bike trip (Part 4): Summed up in one word
COLD!!!!!
That is the entire blog for the rest of the trip! One word - COLD!
As we sat at the visitor's center in West Yellowstone trying to read our map in the pouring rain, it was obvious that we were not going to "Old Faithful" or anything else in the park (though falling into a geothermal pond would have felt nice at the time).
Lenny said, "My phone says it is warmer in Idaho and the rooms are cheaper" so off we went.
It was warmer. Like 19 Celsius warm. It was beautiful!! We stayed in the little town of Rexburg. As we were walking to supper that night, this carload of teenage girls drove by and yelled, "Hey you have a nice......" and we could not make out the rest of it. It started with a "B" though...... Beard????? Boot????? Butt????? We were not sure (you fill in the blank!). We were also not sure which one of us they were yelling at. Lenny (being delusional as he is) thought they were yelling at him...... "butt" I think we all know better! ;)
The next day we rode out to "Craters of the Moon National Monument" which is an old lava field that looks like this.....
It was really interesting. Caves.... ash piles.... lava flows.... very weird!!
We spent that night in the little town of Rigby (Just north of Idaho Falls) because Lenny found a super cheap hotel there. When we woke up the next morning it was super cold!!! A storm that dumped snow in Calgary had dropped down to us, so we decided to stay put for the day and not go anywhere (that is how cold it was). However, the hotel was booked solid for that night, so we were on the road - like it or not.
Since it was about 4 degrees Celsius and expected to warm up to only 7 or 8, we decided to head back north to Dillon, Montana. North looked a little warmer than going south or east (the storm was going that way) and it was sort of back in the direction of home.
The three hour trip to Dillon ended up taking us almost 5 hours! No we did not almost run out of gas again, but we did stop at every rest stop we could find so that we could warm up. The wind was howling and being on the interstate meant riding 75 mph, so five hours was plenty for that day.
That night we ate at this cool 50's style dinner. It is called "Sparky's Garage" and it has old trucks out front and the interior is decorated with old oil cans, automotive signs, old gas pumps, etc. It was really nice. Our waitress took our order and then said, "Y'all must be brothers. Y'all look exactly alike"..... to which Lenny said, "That was rude!" (He is a charming boy!) :)
The next day we were kicking ice off the grass as we headed out to the bikes. It was a little warmer (11 degrees) but the roads made up for the chilliness. We rode north through Butte, then to Helena, Great Falls, stopped at Fort Benton (I like that place) and got to Havre that night. I usually hate interstates on a bike. Too many vehicles, too straight, too boring.... but this one was fun!! Fast and curvy most of the way.
Other than freezing, nothing bad happened to us that day (which I think may have been a first for the entire trip).
No, wait, that isn't true! A couple of different times when we were in Idaho I ordered mashed potatoes with my meal, but I was told each time that they were "out". Out of mashed potatoes in Idaho!!! Isn't Idaho known for potatoes????? Isn't September peak potato harvesting season???? HOW COULD IDAHO BE OUT OF POTATOES.... TWICE?????!!!!???
That ain't right!!!! :(
That is the entire blog for the rest of the trip! One word - COLD!
As we sat at the visitor's center in West Yellowstone trying to read our map in the pouring rain, it was obvious that we were not going to "Old Faithful" or anything else in the park (though falling into a geothermal pond would have felt nice at the time).Lenny said, "My phone says it is warmer in Idaho and the rooms are cheaper" so off we went.
It was warmer. Like 19 Celsius warm. It was beautiful!! We stayed in the little town of Rexburg. As we were walking to supper that night, this carload of teenage girls drove by and yelled, "Hey you have a nice......" and we could not make out the rest of it. It started with a "B" though...... Beard????? Boot????? Butt????? We were not sure (you fill in the blank!). We were also not sure which one of us they were yelling at. Lenny (being delusional as he is) thought they were yelling at him...... "butt" I think we all know better! ;)
The next day we rode out to "Craters of the Moon National Monument" which is an old lava field that looks like this.....
We spent that night in the little town of Rigby (Just north of Idaho Falls) because Lenny found a super cheap hotel there. When we woke up the next morning it was super cold!!! A storm that dumped snow in Calgary had dropped down to us, so we decided to stay put for the day and not go anywhere (that is how cold it was). However, the hotel was booked solid for that night, so we were on the road - like it or not.
Since it was about 4 degrees Celsius and expected to warm up to only 7 or 8, we decided to head back north to Dillon, Montana. North looked a little warmer than going south or east (the storm was going that way) and it was sort of back in the direction of home.
The three hour trip to Dillon ended up taking us almost 5 hours! No we did not almost run out of gas again, but we did stop at every rest stop we could find so that we could warm up. The wind was howling and being on the interstate meant riding 75 mph, so five hours was plenty for that day.
That night we ate at this cool 50's style dinner. It is called "Sparky's Garage" and it has old trucks out front and the interior is decorated with old oil cans, automotive signs, old gas pumps, etc. It was really nice. Our waitress took our order and then said, "Y'all must be brothers. Y'all look exactly alike"..... to which Lenny said, "That was rude!" (He is a charming boy!) :)
The next day we were kicking ice off the grass as we headed out to the bikes. It was a little warmer (11 degrees) but the roads made up for the chilliness. We rode north through Butte, then to Helena, Great Falls, stopped at Fort Benton (I like that place) and got to Havre that night. I usually hate interstates on a bike. Too many vehicles, too straight, too boring.... but this one was fun!! Fast and curvy most of the way.
Other than freezing, nothing bad happened to us that day (which I think may have been a first for the entire trip).
No, wait, that isn't true! A couple of different times when we were in Idaho I ordered mashed potatoes with my meal, but I was told each time that they were "out". Out of mashed potatoes in Idaho!!! Isn't Idaho known for potatoes????? Isn't September peak potato harvesting season???? HOW COULD IDAHO BE OUT OF POTATOES.... TWICE?????!!!!???
That ain't right!!!! :(
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Pippus Brother Bike Trip (Part 3): A little help from our friends
When I last left you, Lenny and I were in Deer Lodge, Montana. He had a completely worn out "corded" back tire and it looked like our trip was about to get worse than it already had been (and it has been plenty "worse" to that point already).
Now, before I go any further, I want to let you in on a "Canadian Secret". It is one that no Canadian will confess to, but it is true none-the-less......
We sometimes think poorly of Americans.
I don't know exactly why that is (after all, we are not all that different), but if I had to guess I would say it has at least something to do with "the little brother syndrome". The US is so big and so much more powerful and has so much more clout on the world stage that it is easy for Canadians to sort of look down our noses at them and (like the jealous little brother of the high school football hero) say "Bah, they aren't so great!"
But I have two stories that would dispel that myth.
First, Lenny and I limped our way on back from Deer Lodge to Butte. A 45 minute trip that took us an hour and a half because we decided to stay off the interstate and just ride the frontage roads (lower speeds = less damage when the tire blows out). Eventually, we had to get back on the interstate to get through the last pass, so we decided to risk it..... then when we got up the ramp and on the interstate we ran right into road construction and we were only allowed to do 35 mph. Perfect! Just like we planned it. :)
Into Butte and over to "Redline Sports" the next morning. Here we found the nicest, most helpful people I have ever seen in a bike shop. No attitude. No speech about letting the tire get that bald. No complaining about having to fit us into their schedule. Nothing but nice, helpful and good.... expensive .... but nice, helpful and good.
That afternoon, we found some of the nicest roads of our trip. A winding, twisty, switch-backy road from Butte to Virginia City. Super fun! We looked around in Nevada and Virginia City (two sort of "Historic towns") and then we headed off to West Yellowstone.
Now the map that we had (a buddy of Lenny's who rides down in the States all the time made up a map telling us which roads were worth riding and where to get gas) did not show any gas stops for a while, so as we were leaving Ennis I said to Lenny, "Maybe we ought to get gas here" (In fact I said it twice).
He replied, "Bah! There has to be something long the way".
There wasn't!
An hour later, it was cold (7 degrees), it was raining (hard) and we were standing on the side of the highway looking at a map and fork in the road trying to decide which way may be the closest to the nearest gas station.
Lenny walked back to look at a highway sign and as he was standing there a truck stopped. Lenny talked to the driver for a bit and then got in the passenger's side! They drove to me and he said, "This lady lives up the road. She is going to give us some gas".
Now, when Sari retold this story in the staff room at her school, one of the ladies (a biker herself) came to her later and said, "I heard a story one time about a lady who would get bikers to follow her to her farm and then she would kill them and bury their bikes!! They were never seen again!"
Somehow, that did not make Sari feel better about us two dim-wits riding around in Montana unsupervised.
Anyway, this lady was super sweet! She introduced us to her husband and then, true to her word, she filled up Lenny's bike. The only problem was that the handle on her gas hose would not shut off.... so she not only filled the tank but overflowed it so that gas was pouring all over the hot engine. I thought to myself, "Lenny's bike catching on fire and burning down would be the perfect end to this trip" but nothing happened.
Then the guy offered to fill my bike too. When I told him that I thought I had enough he said, "Well why worry about it?" and filled it too.
We pulled out our wallets and asked her what we owed her and she said, "Nothing! I won't let you give me anything. You just pay it forward and do something for someone else sometime". Then she gave each of us a big hug (I think she may have even patted us on the head in a "There, there, you stupid boys! Go and have fun now" sort of way) and sent us on our way.
As I rode off in the cold and rain, I could not get the smile off my face! It was the nicest thing to be in trouble and just to have someone step up and say "I will help you!" It was great!!! Southern hospitality in middle Montana.
Eventually we made it to West Yellowstone, but it was raining even harder and it was even colder, so we headed off to Idaho (and that is where the story will continue tomorrow).
But the moral of today's story is this..... there are some really good people in the world!
Or...... The time to buy fuel is when you see fuel!!
Or..... Lenny and I need to re-evaluate our decision making process (or lack thereof).
Now, before I go any further, I want to let you in on a "Canadian Secret". It is one that no Canadian will confess to, but it is true none-the-less......We sometimes think poorly of Americans.
I don't know exactly why that is (after all, we are not all that different), but if I had to guess I would say it has at least something to do with "the little brother syndrome". The US is so big and so much more powerful and has so much more clout on the world stage that it is easy for Canadians to sort of look down our noses at them and (like the jealous little brother of the high school football hero) say "Bah, they aren't so great!"
But I have two stories that would dispel that myth.
First, Lenny and I limped our way on back from Deer Lodge to Butte. A 45 minute trip that took us an hour and a half because we decided to stay off the interstate and just ride the frontage roads (lower speeds = less damage when the tire blows out). Eventually, we had to get back on the interstate to get through the last pass, so we decided to risk it..... then when we got up the ramp and on the interstate we ran right into road construction and we were only allowed to do 35 mph. Perfect! Just like we planned it. :)
Into Butte and over to "Redline Sports" the next morning. Here we found the nicest, most helpful people I have ever seen in a bike shop. No attitude. No speech about letting the tire get that bald. No complaining about having to fit us into their schedule. Nothing but nice, helpful and good.... expensive .... but nice, helpful and good.
That afternoon, we found some of the nicest roads of our trip. A winding, twisty, switch-backy road from Butte to Virginia City. Super fun! We looked around in Nevada and Virginia City (two sort of "Historic towns") and then we headed off to West Yellowstone.
Now the map that we had (a buddy of Lenny's who rides down in the States all the time made up a map telling us which roads were worth riding and where to get gas) did not show any gas stops for a while, so as we were leaving Ennis I said to Lenny, "Maybe we ought to get gas here" (In fact I said it twice).
He replied, "Bah! There has to be something long the way".
There wasn't!
An hour later, it was cold (7 degrees), it was raining (hard) and we were standing on the side of the highway looking at a map and fork in the road trying to decide which way may be the closest to the nearest gas station.
Lenny walked back to look at a highway sign and as he was standing there a truck stopped. Lenny talked to the driver for a bit and then got in the passenger's side! They drove to me and he said, "This lady lives up the road. She is going to give us some gas".
Now, when Sari retold this story in the staff room at her school, one of the ladies (a biker herself) came to her later and said, "I heard a story one time about a lady who would get bikers to follow her to her farm and then she would kill them and bury their bikes!! They were never seen again!"
Somehow, that did not make Sari feel better about us two dim-wits riding around in Montana unsupervised.
Anyway, this lady was super sweet! She introduced us to her husband and then, true to her word, she filled up Lenny's bike. The only problem was that the handle on her gas hose would not shut off.... so she not only filled the tank but overflowed it so that gas was pouring all over the hot engine. I thought to myself, "Lenny's bike catching on fire and burning down would be the perfect end to this trip" but nothing happened.
Then the guy offered to fill my bike too. When I told him that I thought I had enough he said, "Well why worry about it?" and filled it too.
We pulled out our wallets and asked her what we owed her and she said, "Nothing! I won't let you give me anything. You just pay it forward and do something for someone else sometime". Then she gave each of us a big hug (I think she may have even patted us on the head in a "There, there, you stupid boys! Go and have fun now" sort of way) and sent us on our way.
As I rode off in the cold and rain, I could not get the smile off my face! It was the nicest thing to be in trouble and just to have someone step up and say "I will help you!" It was great!!! Southern hospitality in middle Montana.
Eventually we made it to West Yellowstone, but it was raining even harder and it was even colder, so we headed off to Idaho (and that is where the story will continue tomorrow).
But the moral of today's story is this..... there are some really good people in the world!
Or...... The time to buy fuel is when you see fuel!!
Or..... Lenny and I need to re-evaluate our decision making process (or lack thereof).
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Pippus Brother's Bike Trip (Part 2): More mistakes and a day in prison
The third annual "Pippus Brothers Bike Trip" took place in Montana (sorry again Mindy) this year. If you have not read part one below, maybe it would be best to start there.
______________
When I met Lenny (aka my brother Kurt) in Plentywood, Montana, the first words from his mouth were, "Look at my back tire and tell me if it is ok or not".
The answer was.... not!
It was worn right down to the wear bars and beyond in some spots which prompted the following conversation.
"Ummm, Lenny, I think you need to make an appointment somewhere to get that tire changed."
"Bah, it looks about the same as it did when we left for BC last year. Who cares? Let's go!"
That conversation prompted me to (a) envision him blowing a tire on the interstate and wiping out right in front of a semi (which of course would mean that I would no longer have anyone to share hotel rooms with and would have to pay full price myself!!!!) and (b) to start obsessively checking his back tire every time we stopped anywhere. In fact, I was leaned over at the back of his bike so often that it looked like I was praying toward Mecca three times a day.
So there we were..... me without my glasses and Lenny with no tread on his back tire.... bombing across Montana at 75 miles per hour. I was out in front so I was considering calling our trip...... "The blind leading the bald!" (and to those who say "Don't both of those words describe you?" I say .... ha ha... very funny!)
Eventually (after driving past Mindy's road - sorry again!!!) we made it Belgrade and Gallatin Speedway for the stock car races. The races were good! Tons of fun!
The next day we headed to Deer Lodge, Montana. When we got to the hotel there, I again checked Lenny's tire only to find that cords were starting to show. So it was completely worn out and we were a long way from anywhere that could help us (more about this part of the story tomorrow).
So that is where the "prison" part of our story comes in. Now, it would not be unusual for a Pippus male (or female for that matter) to be found in jail (some of my cousins are regulars), but this time we actually got to leave of our own accord.
Our purpose for being in Deer Lodge was to go to the "Old Montana State Prison". Think Alcatraz without the island. It was very cool (especially to Lenny who works in corrections with young offenders) to look around the prison and to see how things were back in the early to mid 1900s. In fact, the prison first opened its doors on July 2, 1871. Here are some shots......
It was very interesting. If you are ever in Deer Lodge with a worn out bike tire and nothing else to do - I highly recommend it.
The other aspect of the prison was a car museum. In fact, it is rated as one of the top 10 car museums in the states. It, too, was very cool. (No pictures of that though.... you know what cars look like).
So, having been sprung from prison, we started to make plans to get Lenny's tire changed.
However, that story, a couple more bad decisions by us and some nice people who helped us along the way will have to wait until tomorrow.
Believe it or not, it gets worse!! :)
______________
When I met Lenny (aka my brother Kurt) in Plentywood, Montana, the first words from his mouth were, "Look at my back tire and tell me if it is ok or not".
The answer was.... not!
It was worn right down to the wear bars and beyond in some spots which prompted the following conversation.
"Ummm, Lenny, I think you need to make an appointment somewhere to get that tire changed."
"Bah, it looks about the same as it did when we left for BC last year. Who cares? Let's go!"
That conversation prompted me to (a) envision him blowing a tire on the interstate and wiping out right in front of a semi (which of course would mean that I would no longer have anyone to share hotel rooms with and would have to pay full price myself!!!!) and (b) to start obsessively checking his back tire every time we stopped anywhere. In fact, I was leaned over at the back of his bike so often that it looked like I was praying toward Mecca three times a day.
So there we were..... me without my glasses and Lenny with no tread on his back tire.... bombing across Montana at 75 miles per hour. I was out in front so I was considering calling our trip...... "The blind leading the bald!" (and to those who say "Don't both of those words describe you?" I say .... ha ha... very funny!)
Eventually (after driving past Mindy's road - sorry again!!!) we made it Belgrade and Gallatin Speedway for the stock car races. The races were good! Tons of fun!
The next day we headed to Deer Lodge, Montana. When we got to the hotel there, I again checked Lenny's tire only to find that cords were starting to show. So it was completely worn out and we were a long way from anywhere that could help us (more about this part of the story tomorrow).
So that is where the "prison" part of our story comes in. Now, it would not be unusual for a Pippus male (or female for that matter) to be found in jail (some of my cousins are regulars), but this time we actually got to leave of our own accord.
Our purpose for being in Deer Lodge was to go to the "Old Montana State Prison". Think Alcatraz without the island. It was very cool (especially to Lenny who works in corrections with young offenders) to look around the prison and to see how things were back in the early to mid 1900s. In fact, the prison first opened its doors on July 2, 1871. Here are some shots......
It was very interesting. If you are ever in Deer Lodge with a worn out bike tire and nothing else to do - I highly recommend it.
The other aspect of the prison was a car museum. In fact, it is rated as one of the top 10 car museums in the states. It, too, was very cool. (No pictures of that though.... you know what cars look like).
So, having been sprung from prison, we started to make plans to get Lenny's tire changed.
However, that story, a couple more bad decisions by us and some nice people who helped us along the way will have to wait until tomorrow.
Believe it or not, it gets worse!! :)
Monday, September 15, 2014
Pippus Brother's Bike Trip (part 1): Self-inflicted wounds
So my brother Kurt (aka "Lenny") and I just got back from an 8 day motorcycle trip to Montana and Idaho. The thing is.... when Lenny and I get together, we have a lot of fun, but we don't always make the best decisions (as you will see over the next few days if you keep coming back to the blog).
One thing before I carry on.... I need to apologize to Aunt Mindy! If you are reading this, "yes" I did ride right past the road to the cabin and "yes" I passed through Bozeman and area without calling or stopping in. I am sorry... but it is not really my fault. The rules of the Pippus brother's bike trip are (a) No one else can go on the trip with us and (b) we cannot stop to see friends or relatives along the way. I am sorry, but I did not make the rules (actually, I think I did make those rules, but I still felt bad about not at least saying "hi". So, again, sorry! :)
Ok - with that - on with the show.
____________
Over the summer I read Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield's book about his time on the International Space Station. The one thing that I remember him saying (over and over), "Astronauts are not fearless or risk takers. They are problem solvers. When you are a long way from home you have to be able to handle set-backs and decide 'What is the next thing that can kill me?' and then deal with that".
Lenny and I were astronauts on this journey! Every time we turned around something else was going wrong. In fact, we decided that we should have a reality show.... but we would likely screw it up!
It all started on the first day in Miles City, Montana. It was a bright and sunny. We were anxious to get on the road, so we loaded our stuff up and got prepared to leave.
I took my glasses off, laid them on the gym bag that was strapped to the back of my bike. Then I put my helmet on, started the bike, backed up and proceeded to head out of the parking when I thought, "Where are my glasses? I am not wearing them!!!"
I ran back to the parking lot only to find that I had not only knocked my glasses onto the ground, but I also stepped on them and then drove the bike across them. Needless to say, it was not a good start to the trip.
Looking at my mangled, broken glasses, Lenny said, "Let's go to the Wal-mart and have them put your lenses in different frames". A great idea.... if the Wal-mart dude would have helped us. Instead, he refused! He was all like, "If the lenses are not in the right place, then your prescription will be wrong".
I pointed out that I was 600 kms from home and that having glasses with the wrong prescription was a better option than no glasses at all. He was unmoved.
Then Lenny had another good idea, "Let's buy some cheap magnifying glasses, take the lenses out of them and put your lenses in ourselves".
So we bought $9 glasses and some precision screwdrivers so that we could make the switch.... BUT the magnifying lenses were glued into the frames rather than held in with a screw, so I could not get them out.
Since we were now way behind our scheduled departure time, I just threw the broken glasses into my saddlebag and rode the next 5 hours without them. It wasn't bad in terms of seeing the road, but reading the road signs were a challenge. I could not see them until they were almost past me. "Next..... goat..... free..... toffee?????" Wa?????
Anywho, in the end I decided to break the cheap frame, take out the magnifying lenses and then zip-tie and duct-tape my broken glasses onto the frame of the magnifying ones. The results looked like this.....
Now I realize that this is not the most stylish look (and I only wore them under the helmet when I was riding), but at least it made me legal and allowed me to see.
I think Chris Hadfield would have been proud (even if my girls laughed their heads off at me!).
And that is only day 1. :)
One thing before I carry on.... I need to apologize to Aunt Mindy! If you are reading this, "yes" I did ride right past the road to the cabin and "yes" I passed through Bozeman and area without calling or stopping in. I am sorry... but it is not really my fault. The rules of the Pippus brother's bike trip are (a) No one else can go on the trip with us and (b) we cannot stop to see friends or relatives along the way. I am sorry, but I did not make the rules (actually, I think I did make those rules, but I still felt bad about not at least saying "hi". So, again, sorry! :)
Ok - with that - on with the show.
____________
Over the summer I read Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield's book about his time on the International Space Station. The one thing that I remember him saying (over and over), "Astronauts are not fearless or risk takers. They are problem solvers. When you are a long way from home you have to be able to handle set-backs and decide 'What is the next thing that can kill me?' and then deal with that".
Lenny and I were astronauts on this journey! Every time we turned around something else was going wrong. In fact, we decided that we should have a reality show.... but we would likely screw it up!
It all started on the first day in Miles City, Montana. It was a bright and sunny. We were anxious to get on the road, so we loaded our stuff up and got prepared to leave.
I took my glasses off, laid them on the gym bag that was strapped to the back of my bike. Then I put my helmet on, started the bike, backed up and proceeded to head out of the parking when I thought, "Where are my glasses? I am not wearing them!!!"
I ran back to the parking lot only to find that I had not only knocked my glasses onto the ground, but I also stepped on them and then drove the bike across them. Needless to say, it was not a good start to the trip.
Looking at my mangled, broken glasses, Lenny said, "Let's go to the Wal-mart and have them put your lenses in different frames". A great idea.... if the Wal-mart dude would have helped us. Instead, he refused! He was all like, "If the lenses are not in the right place, then your prescription will be wrong".
I pointed out that I was 600 kms from home and that having glasses with the wrong prescription was a better option than no glasses at all. He was unmoved.
Then Lenny had another good idea, "Let's buy some cheap magnifying glasses, take the lenses out of them and put your lenses in ourselves".
So we bought $9 glasses and some precision screwdrivers so that we could make the switch.... BUT the magnifying lenses were glued into the frames rather than held in with a screw, so I could not get them out.
Since we were now way behind our scheduled departure time, I just threw the broken glasses into my saddlebag and rode the next 5 hours without them. It wasn't bad in terms of seeing the road, but reading the road signs were a challenge. I could not see them until they were almost past me. "Next..... goat..... free..... toffee?????" Wa?????
Anywho, in the end I decided to break the cheap frame, take out the magnifying lenses and then zip-tie and duct-tape my broken glasses onto the frame of the magnifying ones. The results looked like this.....
Now I realize that this is not the most stylish look (and I only wore them under the helmet when I was riding), but at least it made me legal and allowed me to see.
I think Chris Hadfield would have been proud (even if my girls laughed their heads off at me!).
And that is only day 1. :)
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
My unusual trip to the dentist
So I had to have a wisdom tooth removed today. One of the top ones. Supposedly, one of the "easy" ones (as compared to those on the bottom). "Fifteen minutes... in and out and you will be done" said the dentist.
Well, he froze my jaw and then started at it. He pulled.... and twisted.... and pulled..... and said "hmmm". Then he asked for a different tool. Then he pulled some more.
Finally, I could feel the tooth move.... it hurt a bit but I was glad it was coming out so it did not matter..... so he pulled.... and pulled.... and it kept coming out.... and out ..... and out.... it was like when a magician pulls a bunch of scarfs out of his sleeve or something.... they just keep going and going and going.
Finally, it was out! "I have seen bigger wisdom teeth before", he said, "but not many". He told me that this one had 4 .... maybe 5 roots on it...... and then he said, "The good news is that it all came out at once..... the bad news is that I think it took some of the bone with it" (That won't hurt later tonight, will it???)
Anyway, before going to the appointment I asked Sari where our extra strength Tylenol was just in case I needed it after the freezing came out.
"Here" she said and handed me a bottle of Midol. "It is in this bottle mixed in with the other stuff".
That was fine.... except for the fact that I never take pain medication and I did not think to ask her which pills were the Tylenol and which ones were the Midol.
The good news is that I have not had any real pain.... and after taking the pills my crampiness is completely gone too!!!
Overall, I feel great..... wait... no I don't!!! Oh.... yes I am pretty sure I do.... now hold it..... is it hot in here all of a sudden..... I feel sort of funny.... like I want to go buy some shoes or something.
Oh well..... at least my tooth doesn't hurt! :)
Well, he froze my jaw and then started at it. He pulled.... and twisted.... and pulled..... and said "hmmm". Then he asked for a different tool. Then he pulled some more.Finally, I could feel the tooth move.... it hurt a bit but I was glad it was coming out so it did not matter..... so he pulled.... and pulled.... and it kept coming out.... and out ..... and out.... it was like when a magician pulls a bunch of scarfs out of his sleeve or something.... they just keep going and going and going.
Finally, it was out! "I have seen bigger wisdom teeth before", he said, "but not many". He told me that this one had 4 .... maybe 5 roots on it...... and then he said, "The good news is that it all came out at once..... the bad news is that I think it took some of the bone with it" (That won't hurt later tonight, will it???)
Anyway, before going to the appointment I asked Sari where our extra strength Tylenol was just in case I needed it after the freezing came out.
"Here" she said and handed me a bottle of Midol. "It is in this bottle mixed in with the other stuff".
That was fine.... except for the fact that I never take pain medication and I did not think to ask her which pills were the Tylenol and which ones were the Midol.
The good news is that I have not had any real pain.... and after taking the pills my crampiness is completely gone too!!!
Overall, I feel great..... wait... no I don't!!! Oh.... yes I am pretty sure I do.... now hold it..... is it hot in here all of a sudden..... I feel sort of funny.... like I want to go buy some shoes or something.
Oh well..... at least my tooth doesn't hurt! :)
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