What Have You Being Doing With Your Non-triumph Today?

Wow, @Iceman, that sounds like a serious surgery. I wish a speedy and complete recovery for you!

 

Yesterday afternoon I went out to the garage to switch the positions of my Low Rider and my Street Glide so my Street Glide would be ready to roll for this morning's ride. I turned around for a moment or two and look what magically appeared on the trunk of my car. My hubby makes the best Bloody Marys!

 

Crikey, that looks like a rather large glass

 

Thanks Sandi. My wife and I spent 3 hours on Christmas Eve having an emergency appointment with my consultant, one of the pins came out in the night, the good news for me was he patched me up, and the pins are hopefully coming out on New Year's Eve. A few weeks after that, and I should be able to get footwear on. Then all that's needed is a bit of good weather, and vroom, I'm off again.

 

Speedy recovery mate

 

Our Sunday ride yesterday was a bit longer than typical since we're between holidays and folks (those of us still working) have some extra time off. Steve and I even enlisted our beloved dog sitter, Marilyn, to come hang out with Ellie for the day so we didn't feel compelled to rush home. Consequently, we actually made three stops since we were in no hurry. One for breakfast in Patagonia (AZ not South America), Tubac, and our local Harley dealership. We had a nice turnout of seven--four Harleys, one Yamaha Tracer, and two BMW GS's.

This was our route--counterclockwise starting at our usual QT gas (petrol) station and ending up at Harley. I closest we were about 18 miles from the Mexican border but could see well into Mexico from some of the higher vistas.



Our breakfast joint for the day--Gathering Grounds in Patagonia.





Tubac which is off Interstate 19 and is a great little art community with some high falutin' art along with lots of kitsch.


Unfortunately, the Grumpy Gringo cigar store is closed on Sundays. Steve and I wanted to take Russell there to get his cigar collection started. We got him a small but tasteful humidor for Christmas.



This horse is made entirely from parts! And many are motorcycle parts--gas tanks, exhaust, you name it!



I loved these three red chili peppers holding--from left to right--a beer, a martini, and a glass of wine. We may have to go back for these guys.



Our last stop of the day. By this time there were only three of us left--Steve, Chas, and me. Partly we just wanted to keep riding since it was such a beautiful day! With rain in the forcast for later in the week...



The temperature when we arrived home. It was about 50ºF when we left home earlier in the day. Cold for us though not for many of you.



All told, 170 miles on the clock for the day. And my Street Glide is dangerously near its 20K service. I say "dangerously" because motorcycle shop labor charges seems to have skyrocketed recently. As I mentioned in a previous post, "Fun is expensive!"

 

@Sandi T that looks like a great day out and it must have been nice to have time to relax with friends knowing that Ellie had company; I used to dislike the clock watching that came with having beautiful Rudi as I didn't want to leave him alone for too long and it used to add a little bit of pressure to the day. Your weather looks spectacular.

I love the horse; we have a dog on one of the sites at work made from knives and firearms, it is amazing "in the flesh". These photos are taken from the internet when it was new, now it has been weathered for a few years, it looks even better.

 

That dog is wonderful, @Mrs Visor! Glad you understand about leaving one's dog for the day. It's great that we can sometimes enlist our dog sitter for a day job here and there. Ellie absolutely loves our dog sitter. We call her "Auntie Marilyn" and Ellie knows that name. If I say "Auntie Marilyn is coming!" (even with a very flat tone just to test), Ellie understands and runs to the window to look out at the cul-de-sac to see if she's arrived yet!

 

About 52 miles for Helmut and I on the Ducatis today (the heated grips and hand guards mean it has become my chilly weather bike!!) just to Shobdon for lunch. He has the luxury of a long break from work this Christmas and it's my last rest day from work today so we thought we'd get out. That will have been my last ride of 2025, it's been a great biking year .

 

Glad you and Helmut got out on your bikes, @Mrs Visor, even if chilly! And that you had a lovely long break. My last ride of the year was probably yesterday as we've got rain predicted for the next few days here in the desert. My last day of break before I go back to my job is Monday so I'll have to figure out what to do with myself if it's rainy! I agree with you about it having been a great biking year! We are so blessed.

 

You wouldn't have liked the temperature I am sure, it is about 39F . Helmut has had a lovely long break and continues to do so , I have just had my usual rest days, I am back on the early shift tomorrow - I work 6 on, 4 off which is rolling earlies / lates / nights / off so it's just luck as to when those rest days might fall - always nice when we can both have time off together though.

We are indeed blessed .

 

So today was a Kove day for me with the usual on and off road routes.
Emley Moor TV mast


And signposts like this are just an invite in my mind. I'd just completed the lane here and I've certainly been on worse routes.


Castle Hill, Huddersfield, is above the screen.

Holme Moss mast in the background


The bike is actually turned around at this point as I was going in the upward direction, so now pointing the wrong way. Zero grip, wet rock, failing light and wisdom decided it would be best left for another day for when with others.

 

My route included a stop at "The Carding Shed" so I was hopeful of a cup of tea but unfortunately they were shut.
On the steep downhill approach with bends, the back end suddenly felt like a puncture



But this wasn't just your normal thorn or nail

 

Look at this for a trophy?



The spark plug is just for scale and my finger points to the end which entered the tyre. The knobblies are 12mm tall plus the carcase thickness so probably 15mm+ overall and the piece of metal had no problem getting to the tube.
So despite the cafe being shut, I noticed a guy cleaning his motorhome around the back.

Shy bairns get nowt and all that so here goes....

Excuse me, I have tools and a spare tube but I just wondered if you had an air compressor I could use?

Yes, no problem.

Any chance of a trolley jack to create a sort of paddock stand?

Yep, here use that one.



Soon all sorted and I'm on my way.
Oxford heated grips worked well for my hands and sealskinz socks, despite big puddles and wet boots, kept my feet comfortable.
100 miles all in and back home.

Obvious maybe to some, the spare tube I carry is a front (21") and so a quick jetwash once home, then into doing the tyre thing all again to refit a brand new 18" out of my stock

 

https://www.thecardingshed.com/

 

The last 2 pins are being taken out late afternoon on New Year's Eve, another week for swelling to go down, and boots on hopefully, just need some warmer weather, it is forecast to have low temperatures for a while yet though. Four decades of winter mountaineering and ice climbing on front points have taken their toll on my poor toes. Would I do it all again, Hell Yes I definitely would. Summiting Mont Blanc a while ago, an unusual break in the weather gave fantastic views. This was the start of winter, and there were only a few other climbers to reach the summit that day. The previous few days saw absolutely appalling conditions.
.

 

Beautiful! Except the first picture

 

Wow, @Iceman, I can absolutely see why you'd do it again. Spectacular! Thanks for sharing those photos. So...how did the pin removal go??

 

Thanks Sandi. It went well thank you, all straightforward. Can't wait to get back out riding again, the weather where you are looks fantastic, oh what it would be like here in the UK if we had that sunny hot climate.

 

So glad all went well with your foot procedure, @Iceman! Hopefully you will get some decent weather so you can get on in your bike when you feel up to it. And never fear, soon it will be summertime and you will have lovely temperatures. Meanwhile I'll be back to riding on what feels like the face of the sun.