Useless Observations

Thoughts on the Way Home

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Hey Kids,

I passed an open field among the uppity houses of Federal Heights of Salt Lake City. On the fence hangs a sign that reads “No Dumping.” Such an odd sign. I pass many fields in my travels and never once have I ever thought, “Hey, maybe I can dump my garbage here.” Or my yard clippings. Or my dirt tailings from the pond I’m building. Whatever. Is this really a problem? It must be because the sign also quoted the city ordinance forbidding the practice; I assume. I’ve always been of the thought that there are too many signs and people don’t need to be commanded on every thing. Maybe I’m wrong.

So we saw the movie The Martian last night. It was late when we got home and went immediately to bed so we really didn’t have a lot of discussion of the movie. Great movie by the way. Rolling down the road I wondered, given the training of an astronaut, would I survive? I’m kind of a stubborn old bird. I wonder if I’m as resourceful as I am stubborn. That would be a question interesting and scary to know. I know I strain the odds of traveling safely every time I throw my leg over the motorcycle seat, but I assume I’ll be fine no matter what happens. Arrogance or Ignorance? I don’t know, but I really don’t care either.

Not actual coyote seen, but just like.

Not actual coyote seen, but just like.

There a short stretch of road that crosses City Creek canyon. City Creek is the creek that flows out of the mountains and right into downtown Salt Lake. Don’t look for it, it’s under the roads and buildings now. But it was the creek that the pioneers used to grow their first crops when they first arrived. City Creek Road, drops out of the residential area, descends down the east side of the canyon and travels up the canyon a bit. It then does a U-turn, crosses the river and ascends back up the west side of the canyon towards the State Capitol. It’s a cool little change of scenery. It is also the border of city and the mountains. Traffic flows from east to west as the other side of the street is reserved for joggers and pedal bikers. Today, as I had the bike at near idle doing the 25MPH limit, a coyote emerged from the trees right on the side of the road. He paid little attention to me and had his attention more fixed on how to cross the road to get down to the river. He was very healthy and a beautiful animal. It reminded me just how wild, the edges of Salt Lake City really are.

Those are the kind of things I think about on the ride home.

 

Day 226

Stop Light Profiling

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Hey Kids,

Not all cars and drivers are the same.

Riding a motorcycle gives you more options of deciding on what lane of traffic to get into when pulling up to a light. A quick scan is necessary as you approach the intersection and your decisions have to be quick to enable the needed extra time to safely change lanes. In these cases, profiling is very helpful.Red_Light_590

Choosing the best lane isn’t always determined by the number of cars already in the lane, but the make of the car and the person driving is very important. Let me give you a few examples from what I have learned.

Hondas. Never get behind a Honda. The drivers of Hondas are very conservative and very light on the throttle. They are also usually very courteous drivers so they will always yield to merging lanes and traffic even if they don’t have to. If you see the “H” on the back, keep to the side, do not get behind.

Toyotas. Corolla drivers usually feel they need to compensate so they push the cars to the limits. They don’t have a lot of horses, but they will use them all. Camry’s go half and half. Half are super proud of a Camry and drive it like a race car, the other half are wannabe Honda drivers.

Newer Fords and Chevys. If there are imports around, they’ll drive like crazy to prove themselves better. Trust me. If not, 50/50.

Dodge and Chrysler- Pull behind them every time. They always seem to suffer from the self-conscious syndrome and will step on it every time.

Trucks in general are a good bets.

German imports- Macho syndrome. Possible exception, the Beetle. If a girl driving, yes. If a boy driving, no. Boys driving beetles is just not right. It has something to do with having a flower vase built into the dash board.

As a general rule, the older the car, the slower it is. Likewise for the driver. Exception: Men between 35 and 50 seem to have that mid-life thingee going and will try to outrun a bike behind them every time.

Women drive slower than men. Exception young girls. They are hell on wheels and best to stay behind anyway. Young boys driving simply are dangerous but they are never slow, unless they think that’s what you don’t want.

Another motorcycle is always a great bet. Although, I notice that Honda Motorcycle riders still seem to have that conservative thing. A part from the occasional part falling off and coming at you, Harley’s are always a good bet to follow. It’s that “something to prove” thing again. Sport bikes are awesome. Just rev your motor once and they think you want to race and at the turn of the light, they are gone and it’s like having the road to yourself.

I know this is all based on profiles and stereotypes, but when picking a lane- it’s what you do. I hate or judge no one, but when at a stop light it’s all about Lord of the Flies survival.

 

Day 224

Count Me Out

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Hey Kids,

Like most people now, I don’t watch a lot of live TV.

But Utah is playing Oregon tonight and it’s actually on free TV so I’m watching it. The game is going well for us Utah fans.

I’ve seen a commercial a few times now upon which I must comment.

To tell you the truth, I can’t recall what the commercial is about but it starts with a man microwaving his burrito in a typical corporate breakroom setting. Cut the lights and cue the music.

The 80’s Hair band Europe shows up on the far side of the breakroom, fireworks shooting sparks and smoke from the slow moving stage crawling towards the burrito man. He looks at the timer counting down at 12 seconds.final-countdown

“The Final Countdown” They sing over and over. People clear out of their way, a few bobbing their heads with the music but most disgusted by the intrusion.

This is exactly how I felt when I had to endure their opening act performance when I went to see Def Leppard.

 

Day 215

Tag No More

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Hey Kids,

I just read that a school district has banned the game of tag due to safety concerns.

I realize that times are not the same as when I was in school, but I’m not sure what exactly has happened.

I played lots of games of tag, kick the can, football, baseball, dodge ball, slaughter ball, and Red Rover and apart from a few twisted ankles, slight bruising, and occasionally a little blood, no one died. The injured usually made back to the field of battle too.648131-bubbleboy

Being a kid should be fun. A few tears along the way, yes, but how else can one compare the joys of fun?

Looking down the barrel of 50 years old does have its drawbacks but I thank God I got to grow up in an age when I was allowed to do so. Without being wrapped in bubble wrap.

 

Day 214

By the Hour

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Hey Kids,

It’s like the oldest profession.

Money given for that which is most precious.

The payer expecting everything that the payee can give.

No expression of thanks would be appropriate but the money received for services rendered.

The transaction robs one of being human and grants the other the feeling of superiority.

Why does this happen?wages-act-crop

We’ve all bought into the idea that our time can be compensated by a wage.

The wages will be spent tomorrow and the time is gone forever.

 

Day 213

Yogisms

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Hey Kids,

I learned today that Yogi Berra has passed away.

I’m not going to pretend that I was a Yogifile or that I’ve always admired him. And just for the record, I hate the Yankees.

But the quotes attributed to him have for a long time made me laugh. I’ve quoted a few of them several times. One for sure on this blog at least once.

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”fork_in_the_road

This says to me to not diddle-daddle and waste time thinking about it, just make a decision and do it.

“No one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”

Choose your own path, not the popular one with the crowd right now.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up someplace else.”

Set your goals, don’t drift through life; it doesn’t lead to where you want to go.

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”

No. I think it’s a whole lot better.

Thanks Yogi. We’ll miss your wit.

Day 212

Modern Moonshine Run

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Hey Kids,

Have you ever been illegal?

Like hiding from the cops, illegal? It’s a thrill.

I’m not, however recommending it.150213_police_lights12

I’ve had to actually run from the cops four times in my life. Twice on foot and twice in a car.

But those are stories to be share another time; and again I don’t recommend it.

Currently I have, let’s say, extended tags on one of the bikes. I’ll still ride it on occasion to work and when I do, it feels like I’m embarking on a moonshine run and the cops are out to get me.

On my runs, I’ve learned a few things but I offer no guarantee that they work. And again, I do not recommend their use.

Most importantly, you have to keep an eye out at all times. Avoid suspicious driving habits- not too fast and not too slow. An escape route is to be always on your mind. Like sharks on the hunt, they’ll stalk you from behind. So you have to keep an eye on the mirrors and when you see one, get out of their line of sight.

As soon as you see a light rack lurking behind you in the traffic, turn. Don’t leave it to fate whether they’ll catch up to you- they will. And never trust the car behind you to run blockage; they won’t. No one likes a cop on their tail and they will turn or change lanes on you.

Remember, a turn made too sudden turn catches attention. Changing lanes in an illogical way can also draw a curious eye.

Right turns are best. It gives you the most options. Left turns can leave you stranded in the intersection in clear eye shot. Don’t do them unless you have no choice.

Look for a parking lot and park as soon as possible and as close to the store as you can. Don’t leave your foot on the brake- there’s no reason to signal where you just ditched. Don’t worry about going into the place of business as part of your cover. If the cop is looking for you at this point, he’s already got you.

The illegal run can add real excitement and enjoyment to the morning and afternoon commute. However if caught, the fine can ruin all of it.

In fact and on second thought, maybe it’s best to pay the registration and simply enjoy the ride.

 

Day 210

Home Again

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Hey Kids,

A funeral service, rekindled relationships, and 140 miles traveled.

The services for my uncle were short, reasonably well attended, and as he would have like them.

Many cousins and family members spoke of being closer than we’ve been. The older generations have thinned out and the regular occasions to attend funerals have put us “younger cousins” into each other’s awareness. It’s time to draw together and maybe get to know each other outside the sharing of funeral potatoes.

Mt Nebo, Utah. 11,929 ft A Point of Interest along the way.

Mt Nebo, Utah. 11,929 ft A Point of Interest along the way.

After all the good byes, it was time to fire up the bike and head back the 140 miles I traveled the day before. As all return trips go, it wasn’t as full of excitement as the original trip but it wasn’t so bad either. Bumper-to-bumper traffic did rear its ugly head, due to construction, but it passed soon enough.

It’s good to be home once again and back to my baby.

 

Day 207

Radar Love

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Hey Kids,

In a state that averages a little over 14” of rain per year, to get 2 ½” in the past two days is pretty amazing.

What’s equally amazing is that during these two days of Noahish rains, I have not donned my rain gear once and have had zero rain drop contact.FRAME_2_SS0

Because what’s the most amazing thing of all is the ability to log on to the local news website and check the up-to-the-minute radar and plan the rides to and from the job between the bans of rain.

There are times that looking back to the good ol’ days has its place, but you know, this world we live in now, ain’t so bad either.

 

Day 205