We went out to Atlanta for the weekend to check out the Salvador Dalí exhibit at the High Museum. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about Dalí’s influence on other artists, such as Andy Warhol. The pieces that they had on exhibit were amazing, and really showed just how talented, and bizarre at times, Dalí was. If you’re in the area, it’s well worth the time. They also have an exhibit of Titian and other Venetian Renaissance works, which you shouldn’t miss…
Author Archives: Pat
Red
Heather and I went to see Red tonight. It’s based on a graphic novel about some retired spies having to fight back as they’re being hunted. There’s a lot more to it than that, and the cast was great. Between Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, and Hellen Mirren and cameos by a few others, it was full of fun. I’m really liking all of the comics/graphic novels that have been made in to movies lately. Hopefully that’ll continue…
Rick Bayless At UT-Arlington
Heather and I were back out at UT-Arlington tonight to hear Rick Bayless give a talk. He’s a really interesting guy, with a great take on traditional Mexican (not Tex-Mex!) cooking. He’s got some well regarded restaurants, a PBS show, as well as some books. The talk was fun, with lots of humor and great insights into how he approaches food and culture. I’m going to try to get in to Frontera Grill when I get up to Chicago…
Tech Day – October 2010
I went down to the local BMW club‘s tech day today to do some work on the bike. The first order of business was to replace the halogen light I had to install on the long ride in August with a new HID bulb. That went relatively easy, the only problems being related to the cramped space between the front forks and the fairing. It’s nice to have the extra light output of the HID bulb back.
After that was the real meat of the work, installing a Whelen TIR3 LED lighthead as an auxiliary brake light. It was a pretty involved process, but the gist of it was that I extended the wires coming out of the lighthead, tapped in to the existing brake light circuits, and wired in the flash mode selector. I’ve now got an obnoxiously bright secondary brake light on the bike, so hopefully it’ll increase visibility enough to justify it. I picked up the lighthead from Fleet Safety and would definitely recommend them if you’re looking to do a similar installation on your bike.
Finally was some routine maintenance, due after the long ride. Namely adjusting the valve clearances and syncing the throttle bodies. They were pretty close to good and it took very little time to get them set. After that I just had to put all of the body panels back on and head home.
Thanks to everyone in the club that helped me get the work done. It was definitely appreciated.
An Evening With Ken Burns
Heather and I went down to UT Arlington tonight to see Ken Burns speak. We stopped at Prince Lebanese Grill for dinner beforehand and really enjoyed the food. It was one of Guy’s stops on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and was well worth the trip.
The setup for Mr. Burns’s presentation wasn’t a lecture so much as an interview, conducted by one of the local PBS radio personalities. He was a pleasure to listen to, very well spoke and intelligent. I really enjoyed listening to his insights on baseball, war, American history and culture, and more. There was a short Q-and-A session afterwords, followed by a chance to go up and get something signed. I got my copy of [amazon_link id=”0679755438″ target=”_blank” ]The Civil War[/amazon_link] book signed, which was nice…
Rush: Time Machine Tour 2010
I rode down to Fair Park this evening to see Rush on their Time Machine 2010 tour. Traffic was a bear, thanks to the state fair being on, but riding instead of driving was the better choice.
There was no opening act, and they took the stage at around 7:45 PM. They played two relatively full sets with an intermission between and then a two song encore. The band was in great form, really looking like they were having a lot of fun out there. This was one of the best concerts, and the best Rush concert, I’ve been to in some time. They played the entire [amazon_link id=”B000W1TJ7W” target=”_blank” ]Moving Pictures[/amazon_link] album plus many other favorites. Here’s the set list from the show, to the best of my recollection
- First set
- Spirit of Radio
- Time Stands Still
- Presto
- Stick It Out
- Workin’ Them Angels
- Leave That Thing Alone
- Faithless
- BU2B
- Freewill
- Marathon
- Subdivisions
- Second set
- Tom Sawyer
- Red Barchetta
- YYZ
- Limelight
- The Camera Eye
- Witch Hunt
- Vital Signs
- Caravan
- (a most excellent drum solo)
- Closer To The Heart (with a nice extended intro)
- 2112 (Overture + Temples of Syrinx)
- Far Cry
- Encore
- La Villa Strangiato
- Working Man
[amazon_mp3_clips widget_type=”ASINList” width=”250″ height=”250″ title=”Time Machine Setlist” market_place=”US” shuffle_tracks=”True” max_results=”” asin=”B000W1VERU, B000W1VET8, B001232R5A, B001237IJA, B001232XGS, B001237IPO, B00122X9YY, B00122X9YY, B000W1YZHQ, B000W1VVIC, B000W1VUBA, B000W1ZGTM, B000W1VVXC, B000W1ZGUG, B000W1TLAC, B000W1ZGVK, B000W1TLAM, B000W1RFHI, B003MX743I, B000W1ZGNI, B000WTYSJS, B00122X9XU, B000W1XHGG, B000W1VF3S” /]
2010 Road Trip – Day 17
The last day of the ride. I’m definitely ready to be home but part of me wants to keep going… The ride was a little windy, a little warm, but completely issue free. The o-ring replacement in Santa Fe seems to have worked. The oil leak is gone, so that’s good. I rolled in to the driveway at around 5:00 PM.
17 days
5,892 miles
2 countries
13 states
3 provinces
Pictures and an epilogue to follow…
2010 Road Trip – Day 16
I got up early and went out to work on the bike’s oil fill cap leak issue. After removing the plastic insert that goes in the head it was immediately apparent what the problem was. The o-ring was shot, flattened out on the side against the plastic insert, allowing grit in and oil out. I replaced it and then got cleaned up, packed the bike, and headed for Lubbock. The ride went well, up until I got just past Clovis, NM. The skies opened up with a classic high plains thunderstorm. I managed to skirt most of it, just catching the trailing end of the first cell and watching the other one move up as I went by. I rolled in to Jason and Vic’s place and had a blast catching back up with them.
Tomorrow, home…
2010 Road Trip – Day 15
Definitely on the homeward leg now. I checked the tire pressure (perfect) and oil level (a little low), got breakfast, and started down the road to Santa Fe. The ride was pretty uneventful, taking me through southern Utah, the southwest corner of Colorado, and finally New Mexico. I crossed the continental divide on US-84 in New Mexico but didn’t stop to take a picture as I noticed the sign as I rode by. My first stop on arriving in Santa Fe was the local BMW dealer to pick up replacement o-rings for my oil filler cap. It’s been leaking since Seattle, nothing serious, just annoying. After that I checked in at the hotel and unloaded the bike, then walked down to Horseman’s Haven for dinner. The green chile was as tasty and hot as I remembered, nicely scorching my face. I’ll be back for breakfast for sure!
2010 Road Trip – Day 14
After a good night’s sleep I got up, packed the camera gear, and grabbed some breakfast before going over to Arches National Park for a day of hiking and photography. The park is beautiful, a feast for the eyes, and just a real pleasure to be in. I managed to get to most of the points of interest that I’d planned on before the heat started beating me down. At that point I was guzzling Gatorade from the backpack and choosing not to hike except for important-to-me sights. I got to see the North and South Windows, Balancing Rock, Turret Arch, Delicate Arch, and a lot more. This is somewhere I’ll be coming back to when the weather’s a little cooler and I’ve got better hiking gear. Traipsing around on sandstone ledges in motorcycle boots is really not the best of ideas.
When I’d ridden all of the roads in the park, I started back for the hotel, stopping off to mail a post card to Reese and fill the bike’s tank. After cooling down and doing some school work, I made my way back over to The Moab Brewery for a burger and some more excellent beers.
Tomorrow, Santa Fe…