Quote from: 1.21GW on November 27, 2016, 06:47:29 PM
Didn't you get the email?  You'll all be getting a bill when this is all over.  

The check is in the mail...= the chase is on.

Quote from: 1.21GW on November 27, 2016, 06:45:47 PM
And I haven't even gotten halfway through Mexico yet.  I have the spacers to make my passenger pegs work, so you could have ridden in the back.  We'd be going about 25 mph in 5th, though, and I'm not sure I could handle your goatee tickling my neck.  

Quote from: ducpainter on November 27, 2016, 06:47:10 PM
We can honestly say that we helped him on his journey.

It was fun watching/guiding/helping him install tires for the first time.

True!

Group - "put more lube on it so you can really get in deep"

ML - "that's what she said"

Laughing.

Drinking.

More laughing

Quote from: 1.21GW on November 04, 2016, 03:15:44 PM


Travel Tip #823: How to Remove a Colony of Ants from Your Shoei Hornet DS Helmet

Sorry, just catching up on this thread, but I have to wonder what effect several bottles of rubbing alcohol will have on the crash worthiness of the EPS... 

Oh shit. I never thought of that.

Or the effect of the fumes on the rider
"Sir, you are over the limit".

Quote from: NAKID on November 28, 2016, 04:11:02 PM

Sorry, just catching up on this thread, but I have to wonder what effect several bottles of rubbing alcohol will have on the crash worthiness of the EPS...  

Geez.  Were you that kid that volunteered to be a hall monitor?  




Luckily I don't plan to crash on this trip so it shouldn't be a problem.  

Quote from: 1.21GW on November 29, 2016, 10:56:57 AM
Geez.  Were you that kid that volunteered to be a hall monitor?  




Luckily I don't plan to crash on this trip so it shouldn't be a problem.  

Hey man, just looking out for you. And hell, maybe you were looking for an excuse to buy a new helmet! 

Quote from: 1.21GW on November 29, 2016, 10:56:57 AM
Geez.  Were you that kid that volunteered to be a hall monitor?  




Luckily I don't plan to crash on this trip so it shouldn't be a problem.  

If you only knew.

Quote from: 1.21GW on November 29, 2016, 10:56:57 AM
Geez.  Were you that kid that volunteered to be a hall monitor?  




Luckily I don't plan to crash on this trip so it shouldn't be a problem.  

I'm no chem expert, but I believe polystyrene is not affected by isopropyl alcohol or ethanol.  Gasoline or acetone?  You betcha!

Quote from: howie on November 29, 2016, 12:23:08 PM


I'm no chem expert, but I believe polystyrene is not affected by isopropyl alcohol or ethanol.  Gasoline or acetone?  You betcha!

According to this:
http://benchmarkfoam.com/eps-technical/chemical-compatibility/
Limited Compatibility
"Noticable effect, but not necessarily indicating a lack of
serviceability or useful life. Further testing is recommended
in the specific application."

So, no excuse to buy a new helmet.

Quote from: ducpainter on November 29, 2016, 12:13:17 PM


If you only knew.

Hey! What the hell is that supposed to mean!? 

Quote from: NAKID on November 29, 2016, 11:42:03 AM
Hey man, just looking out for you. And hell, maybe you were looking for an excuse to buy a new helmet! 

New helmet would be nice now that you mention it...

From Xilitla I headed to Bernal along 120, a windy mountain road that starts in the cold foggy jungle and ends in a clear dry desert.








Bernal is known for the 430m monolith that towers over the town.  Nightlife there was oddly quiet for a Friday, so I took the chance to practice night photography.  I’m getting better, but have a ways to go.  My goal is to get one good Milky Way shot before this is all over.










I then headed southwest to the Reserva Biosfera de Mariposas Monarcas, the winter home of nearly all the monarch butterflies from the eastern United States and Canada (the ones in the west winter in parts of the SW United States).   These creatures fly thousands of miles  every fall to this same section of forest, a trip that spans four generations.  It’s like the Oregon Trail but for insects.

The reserve has two sections open to the public.  I went to Rosario, about 25 minutes outside of Angangueo along a cobble stone and dirt road.  To get to the part where the monarchs reside requires a strenuous thirty-minute uphill hike that is made worse by the altitude (~3000m).   Along the trail, monarchs begin to appear above, at first in the dozens, and then by swarms in the hundreds by the time you reach their wintering site.  There, tree limbs bend and sag under the weight of clusters numbering in the thousands, their orange and black wings blending with the green pines to make what appears to be a brown bulbous growth, as if the trees were hatching something from a Ridley Scott film.   The clusters help them stay warm in the cool air, and those that leave them must flutter constantly to keep from freezing.  As a result, the forest floor is littered with the bodies of those that could not keep up their body heat.

Next, I went just outside of Mexico City to the largest pre-Hispanic site in Mexico, Teotihuacan. It is simply huge.  Its central Avenue of the Dead cuts through nearly 2km of what were once thriving residences and temples and markets, ending at the impressive Pyramid of the Moon, a 43m-high structure that rises up from the horizon as you walk down the main thoroughfare.  But it is its twin tower, the 71m-high Pyramid of the Sun, that dominates the landscape.  The line to climb it is well worth the wait, not only for its spectacular views of what was once the largest city in Mesoamerica, but for the opportunity to role play as an ancient Teotihuacano. Upon reaching the top, visitors throw their hands up toward the sun as if possessed by the spirit of some high priest giving featly to the gods.  The more intoxicating experience is to look down on the Sunday crowds gathered around the base of the structure and channel the rush of power an emperor must have felt high above a hundred thousand cheering subjects.

































After Teotihuacan I rolled through Veracruz pretty quickly on my way to Oaxaca. The highlight in Veracruz for me was a small river town near the coast called Tlacotalpan. Fishing boats, colorful houses, fresh seafood, a steady coastal breeze, and an overall laid back feel were the defining characteristics of this pueblo. I learned too late that there are witches there, the kind that read you fortune through strands of hair and stuff like that. I would have liked to hear my future.

















In Tlacotalpan there was a sad little collection of animals in the home of a late resident who had a thing for exotic creatures. Four crocodiles, a cage full of caracaras and one eagle, three pelicans, and a host of turtles of all species made up the entirety of the zoo. I regret visiting this place, as I decided long ago no longer to support zoos and especially the kind that is located in someone’s house. One look at this small crocodile enclosure and you get what I mean.

SERIOUSLY,  after this trip, you must write a book and call it as  this thread is called . . . WOW, the pics and your writing are outtarhisworld

I agree. You have a talent. It could be up there with "Zen and the Art of Motorcycling".

BTW, that gator sure looks down doing hard time.