Parking on the street

has its consequences, and is less secure than being in your own property. We are in the midst of a construction project which resulted in having to park our vehicles on the street with no access to our garage or carport



We had no cause for concern as we are in a good area but after 3 months my Corvette was recently vandalized. My Honda commuter car as well as my V-strom are also parked on the street in front of our home. I bought a bike cover



to make my bike more inconspicious but I got to thinking that perhaps I should park it out of sight. My carport is at the rear of the house accessed through the laneway .



but you notice that I have some obstacles to overcome. The simpler way would be to



ride my bike on the sidewalk along the side of the house, through the narrow gate. It is not that easy to maneuver but it can be done . When I had my smaller scooters I used to bring them in and out through the gate on a daily basis



The opening is narrow but with a bike as heavy as a V-strom you need help from the engine, and then turn it off using manual power through the gate. It is not easy to push 550 lbs of V-strom through the soft grass. I take it slow and easy until I reach the gate then turn the engine off



from here I have to duck walk it the rest of the way. At this point my handlebars are slightly wider than the width of the gate, so I have to skew the steering to get the right bar through, and then the left bar will just clear



This is a delicate operation and your bike has to be in exact position but I have done this several times. Now comes the complex task of turning my bike around so it is



facing the correct way the next time I need to bring it out. The contractor has a lot



of their equipment and tools stored here but I have to move it out of the way, then put it back where it was . Anyway, operation accomplished and I am happy to report that I feel better now that it is back where it belongs, out of sight and off the street



It is too bad that we have to rule our lives by the actions of a minority who have no regard for the property of others. I was just thinking how upset I am that they (vandals) have deprived me from enjoying the last remnants of summer in my convertible

I only drive my 'Vette during the summer months. So far I haven't used it much at all. I don't use it when it rains, nor when it is too hot so I have been waiting for the temperatures to moderate. So now that the weather is perfect, I am without . . .


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A couple of iMBC2012 images. Here are a couple of grabshots taken in Hell's Canyon.



Sonja on her H-D


Erik on his Ninja

It all happened so fast. I was in the right spot but nearly too late to snap these. I didn't have time to set the camera for fast action