First Ride on the KLR

Well, I took it out for a 'real' ride today. Something like 80 miles & 2 hurs - everything from freeway to tiny gravel roads. General thoughts...

1. Infinitely less power than the b12, but enough to do the job. I definitely *won't* be beating many cars off the line.

2. The 7500 red line comes up fast in 1st gear. I have to remember to shift, and pay attention rather than simply going by the sound like on the b12.

3. The bike cruises just fine at 75 (indicated) but has little beyond that.

4. The brakes do, in fact, suck. The rear brake will be a very real part of my braking process.

5. The stock seat does, in fact, suck after an hour. Time to order the corbin. I can get a 'standard' flat seat via ebay for $200, or go through their shop for fancier materials / build. The 'flat' seat is a bit lower than stock - I don't need it, and may want to keep the leg room of the standard height. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

6. The colors are growing on me. I'm not even going to *try* to examine what that means about me.

All in all, I'm real happy with it. It'll be perfect for what I need, and how I'll be using it.

The end of an era....

Well, in the interests of simplifying my life, I got rid of the Bandit, and picked up a KLR 650. I got some cash out of the deal, and a bike that will be better as commuter / basic transportation. Less maintenance, less expensive tires, and I'll feel less guilty about it sitting outside in the rain. Finally, if it gets knocked over in the parking lot, it's no big deal. Less plastic to break, and dents will only add character.....

It's a '94 KLR 650 in the classic 'barbie' paint scheme....

Modern Ruins

If you have a chance, check out Shaun O'Boyles photos of modern ruins -

http://www.oboylephoto.com/ruins/index.htm

Cape Lookout

The weather was fantastic on Sunday, so I headed over to the coast. Cape Lookout seemed interesting, so I packed the dog and away we went! Nice drive over, and a great hike out to the point. About 5 miles round-trip. Clear day, about 70 degrees, with a slight breeze. Couldn't ask for better weather! Gracie was a great hiker, staying about 40 feet ahead, and coming back to see what was holding me up frequently!

Tillamook is about 90 minutes from Portland - Cape Lookout is about 30 minutes more

What's taking you so long, dad?

Looking north

another view back towards sand lake

on the cliff

Up ahead

pretty cute, eh?

Gracie Dog

looking towards sand lake

Cape Lookout from the distance - that's it in the background

Urban Husbandry

In a discussion on the Pro-Urb listserv, Richard Layman mentioned the idea of "project planning vs. urban husbandry" in relationship to the ideas of Jane Jacobs (RIP) - Now, I won't go into the discussion of Jane Jacobs, but the idea of 'urban husbandry' caught my attention.

Wikipedia defines the following:

Urban Area - A geographical area (including cities and towns) distinct from rural areas.

Husbandry - As from the bible, to name and care for the Garden of Eden and the animals (Genesis 2:19-20). It is otherwise thought of as the practice of breeding and raising livestock.

The idea of 'care & feeding' of cities and towns interests me. Perhaps a better idea is 'community husbandry' - how'd *that* look on a business card? Too pretensious, perhaps? Something to think about, anyway.