The Americans have fathers day at a different time of year from us. It was on June 15th this year. In a lot of ways, it does not matter when it is for me, because this year, I had a day that will not be beat by any others fathers day………
Woke up at a sane hour for a change. Usual breakfast on my own, checked email, had a really nice one from a customer that is fast becoming a friend and some spam from Amazon.
Got dressed, kissed a sleepy wife and snuck out the apartment so as not to wake the kids.
Get the gear on, zip tie the GPS to the handle bars (need to order the bracket from Amazon this week) and we were ready to go.
I had decided that I wanted to ride a road that I had driven some time back, its a really technical road, it would give me a chance to get to know the bike at low speed, always a good idea to start slow and build some confidence I think……
Anyway, the road was all I remembered it and more on a bike. Its some bike. It stops and goes with gusto! Being a dead end road, it was not long before I was looking at the GPS to extend the ride (its not often you get told to ‘go and ride for at least 3 hours’!).
I poked around some back roads just minding my own business when I came across a dead end with a nice view (though a fence, which is rare). Stopping to take some photos of the bike I came to hear a helicopter. I could not see it, which was odd, helicopters are normally in the sky?
Time to get riding, so off I set in search of roads that would give me a chance to bond with the bike……. I end up in one section on a bald hill, looking down at a helicopter that was hovering in front of a house built on the side of a cliff. The pilot spots me, and its game on. He heads my way and starts chasing me along the road. Well, ok, perhaps more follow, but chase sounds a lot more interesting. He followed me for about 30 seconds before breaking off and getting back to the house. It was pretty exciting, and rather bizarre.
From there, it just got better. I will get my little video camera mounted and take you for a ride. Its a super loop that has lots of interesting stuff on it.
Home to chat with the kids, home made mini pizzas for lunch, a nap, then off to Wall-Mart to get a pantry cupboard for Freddy, put it together, and then its time for dinner. I picked real Ozi burgers, nice feed. Then, as the sun was going down, the wind had dropped and the temperature had become more bearable, Freddy and I headed off to take her on the loop that I had enjoyed.
The intercom worked a treat, and we had a great ride. Freddy likes the bike, but would like it better if it did not lean around corners. (I’m not ready for a trike anytime soon, so she will hopefully get used to it!).
The twilight vistas from the hill tops were fantastic. The highlight of the ride for both of us was when a coyote came out onto the road and walked toward the bike before heading back into the bush. We both got a good look at him and it was really neat to see one in the wild.
It takes just under an hour to do the loop, and I look forward to taking each of the kids on the same road, and then doing it in reverse with every one. (It really is a cool road!).
I think Freddys even looking forward to going to Phoenix on the bike now, its a LOT more comfortable for back seat passengers (so I am told by Terry and Freddy).
So, that was my Fathers day, it was fantastic, a day ride, getting chased by helicopters, a night ride with the wife, seeing a coyote, good food and a snooze in the middle.
Going to be hard to beat that one!
