Three Wheels of Love

[mystery jig]

The clock said 9:30 a.m. when my wife set the coffee on the nightstand and asked if I was going to sleep all day. So much for the early start.

I was mounted up and rolling west out of Portland by half-past ten. It was starting to get warm, but there was a breeze and the stifling humidity of Saturday was gone. My destination was map 10 in my hen-scratched 1994 Delorme Gazetteer. I often browse it like a bedtime story before turning out the lights, hoping to dream of the road. A few weeks ago I noticed how Routes 5 and 93, along with the Waterford and Sweden Roads, form a loop around Lovell. In the middle are some tangled dirt roads, Kezar Gorge and Sabattus Mountain. It looked like prime frolicking grounds for my Russian sidecar motorcycle...

Do a fellow ADVenturer a favor and click here for the rest of the story, pix and video:

http://bennetttheredonethat.bangorda...ycles-and-men/

The more hits I get, the more likely my editors will let me keep doing this on company time. Thanks!

[mystery jig]

The roads leading west into New Hampshire were slick last Friday morning. The leading edge of the snowstorm the TV weather folks were calling the impending “Snowpocalypse” or “Deathstorm ’13″ in their typically understated fashion, was already dumping snow on me. I was astride my Russian-made Ural sidecar rig headed from Portland to Fryeburg. It was cold. My breath was freezing on the inside of my helmet shield, making it tough to see. Each time I passed a truck, whiteout conditions ensued for a few moments in the billowing powder. I was careening toward the state line to meet up with three other three-wheeled cyclists. We were going camping.

That’s right: camping.



To be fair, we planned the trip last fall when no one knew the biggest storm in years was on its way. We’re a loose-knit group who hang out online at the Soviet Steeds collective and, as of the middle of last week, we had upwards of a dozen fellow sidecar riders committed to the New Hampshire trip. But, one-by-one, they dropped out as the sounds of panic began to emanate from sweater-wearing forecasters on the tube. By Thursday night, only four were left: myself, Thermos, Keith and Mike.

We decided to go anyway.

To read the rest, watch the video and see more pix, click on over here:

http://bennetttheredonethat.bangorda...-the-blizzard/

It'll take you to my blog at the newspaper where I work. The more hits I get, the more likely they'll let me keep doing this. Thanks!

[Thermos]

You should put a link to this in the Hack section.

Do you know how many views your video has now?

-T

[mystery jig]

Over 10,000 now.

[Thermos]

Originally Posted by mystery jig

Over 10,000 now.

That is fantastic!!

-T

[mystery jig]

Some people say it’s not proper. It’s immoral, even. To take a motorcycle that’s more tractor than street racer, and try and pretty it up — it just doesn’t make sense. It’s supposed to be dirty.

[mystery jig]

I set out, heading west, around 5 p.m. Friday night. It took me ages to wriggle through Portland’s commuter traffic as working stiffs squeezed out of the city, headed for their weekends in the suburbs. Once I got past Standish, on Route 25, the cars and traffic lights thinned out considerably. Still, I knew I wouldn’t get there before dark. Missing the Route 28 turnoff in Ossippee, N.H. on Route 16 didn’t help either. Nope.

But, at least it wasn’t snowing this time.

I was on my way back to Gilmanton, N.H. to meet some of my Russian sidecar motorcycle clan for a little riding and camping. The last time I did this, in February, we were coldcocked by a blizzard. Almost nobody showed up. So, this get together was a makeup, or do-over, for those who didn’t want to brave the elements a couple months back...

Please head over to MY BLOG to read some more about the trip and see the video.

I hate to direct you elsewhere, but they're nice enough to pay me to make the videos. The more hits I get, the more likely I can continue to ride on the company's dime. Thanks in advance!

Here are some pix to temp you.

[Vinbowie]

I would love that actually !
Love that you can carry a wood stove
on your motorcycle.
awesome.

[mystery jig]

I hear you can even fit a person in one of those sidecars!

[mystery jig]

I came to a stop behind Thermos on the dusty trail. He had both of his gloved hands over his head. He was clapping. Just ahead of him, in the middle of a small stream was Keith. His bike was submerged, up to both cylinder heads, in brown water. The rear of the bike was down a bit deeper, nearly past the rear fender. The back tire was spinning, but he was going nowhere. With the rotating tire and frothing exhaust bubbles, the dark water roiled like an uninviting jacuzzi . I leaped from my bike in an instant. I knew what I had to. I knew I had to do it fast, too.

I grabbed my camera and took a picture.

You can read the rest and see a video at my blog. Yes, I know, you don't want to click on over there, but that's how I get paid. Thanks in advance.

http://bennetttheredonethat.bangorda...-do-not-float/