Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/100 sec, ISO2000 “Ride Day” Cedar Park, 2018
こんにちは。How’s it going?
Today the sun was shining and the weather was perfect for a motorbike ride. Whenever I get on my F650 GS, I remember the long journeys I took, especially my two day trip through Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It is so fun to eat up the miles riding on top of two wheels! And hitting the state line is kind of a thrill, especially because we live in the center of Texas and the border is a good 8 hours in any direction.
Today’s ride was just around the town where we live, but it’s always fun to experience that bit of freedom and speed that a motorcycle provides. It’s a wonderful way to feel truly alive. 😊
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO320 “Maintenance Day” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Today was a long day, but I did a lot of different things. First of all, was breakfast for the kids of Portuguese sausage, eggs, toast for Bay, and tortillas for Koa (actually breakfast tacos). I made do with just coffee as is my norm, and then it was off to Home Depot to buy some filters for our air conditioning vents.
After those were replaced, I took Koa to his band practice, and then I spent an hour changing the oil in my motorcycle. The procedure for my bike is not difficult, but it takes a long time because you have to take off some plastic parts, remove a metal bash plate, drain the oil from two locations, and replace the oil filter which is in a suboptimal location. But it all worked out with just a little bit of spillage on the garage floor. 😀 And it’s much cheaper than taking it to the motorcycle shop!
With that work done, it was time to play some Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. I’m still having fun playing it, but I do have to deal with an annoying login issue, as shown in the photo below.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1000 “Error” Cedar Park, 2018
After maybe a dozen unsuccessful attempts at logging in, it will finally go through and I’ll be able to play. What a hassle! But once I am in, it’s a lot of fun crafting new items and arranging the camp. Very relaxing!
After a couple hours, it was time to pick up Koa, and then we decided to go out for dinner at an Asian buffet. It was actually pretty good, and I liked the fact that this restaurant had a Mongolian barbeque. Tasty! I used to eat a lot of Mongolian BBQ when I lived in Los Angeles, but in Austin I have only had it a few times. The BBQ at the buffet place wasn’t as good as a dedicated BBQ restaurant, but for the price, it was satisfying.
Later in the evening, I decided to go to the theater to see The Greatest Showman. I’m not really into musicals, but I just wanted to see something (using my Moviepass!) and since the theater is less than 10 minutes away, the last-minute decision was perfectly ok. As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised with this movie! I didn’t think it was super, but it was entertaining and good to see on the big screen and with good sound.
And now as I type this, it’s past 1 am so I better get to bed.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/280 sec, ISO200 “Motorized Fun” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Today I was rearranging things in the garage in order to get the Christmas decorations out and I had my motorcycle “Kiki” parked where we usually have the Prius. It looked so nice and the weather was perfect, so of course, I had to go out for a ride. It felt so great to be out in the warm Texas breeze (it was in the high 70s today) flying along.
These days I enjoy driving the Crosstrek, which is so much more fun than the Odyssey was, but the motorcycle is light years ahead of both. The acceleration, view, contact with the elements, and lean angle are amazing sensations that a car just cannot give. I know there are many cars that are faster than my motorbike (which is not that quick compared to a sport bike), but a quick 0-60 while strapped into a chair that is enclosed in a cage just can’t be the same as sitting on top of a hot engine, zooming in mid-air, while the world leans to the side. For adrenaline and fun, a motorcycle is the way to go. For comfort, convenience, and practicality? A car for sure. I love them both!
If you are interested in reading some of my motorbiking posts, please check out my other blog, Motofuji.net.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO640 “Dashboard?” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Tonight I rode my motorbike 🏍 around the neighborhood and stopped by the gas station. ⛽ For some reason, I thought the fuel tank was almost empty but when I filled up, it only took .6 gallons and the gas was right at the opening. I’m not sure how I got confused by it.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO1000 “Fuel Stop” Cedar Park, 2017
But whatever. I then rode around some more, which is totally fun at night, but it’s also very dangerous in this part of Texas because there are so many deer that come out in the evening. So it’s important to have a finger or two around the brake lever when going past the forests.
I love my bike so much. It’s so nimble and easy to ride. It’s relatively small as far as dual-sport bikes go, but for a little guy like me, the F650 GS is pretty heavy. All that weight disappears like magic though once you are moving. Riding a motorcycle is so liberating… you feel so free. In reality, you are going the same speed and places as cars but since you are not trapped inside a steel cage, it feels like you are flying. A truly incredible feeling. I love it!!! 💖
This video for the Yamaha SR400 is one of my favorites. It’s a little cheesy, but it kind of gets at what is great about riding a motorbike.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1600 “Colorful Motorbike” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Today’s photo is of my motorcycle, which is set up as a long-distance mile-eater. If you want to read more about it, you can check out my other blog. But after I took the photo, I started thinking about what kind of vehicles I like, and why.
As someone who loves to travel, I love vehicles that have a go-anywhere, self-contained feeling.
For instance, one of my dream cars when I was younger was a Toyota Townace 4×4 Van. They were so bizarre but I thought they were really cool. Plus, it would make an awesome camper. Pair that with Toyota dependability and it seemed like a perfect vehicle.
I still want something like that to go camping in! Long road-trips are so fun. I love them.
Right now, I drive a Honda Minivan, which is excellent. It is so versatile and can hold a ton of stuff, so it is great for camping. But it doesn’t have that walk-in feeling like a VW camper or full-size van. It’s kind of just a big car. Also, it only gets 20mpg. 😒
In the ’90s I had a really fun vehicle – a Toyota 4×4 truck. That was an awesome vehicle for camping and getting to those primitive sites. We’d take it off-road on some fairly gnarly trails, with the bed filled with camping gear. That’s another vehicle I’d consider buying again, but the fuel economy just sucks… even worse than the van.
Anyways, back to my motorcycle… it sort of fits the bill because it’s set up to go off-road (although it’s pretty heavy), can travel long-distances (I’ve traveled out of Texas on it), and gets great gas mileage. On the downside, the comfort level is lacking… especially in the Texas heat.
I guess there isn’t a perfect vehicle out there for me at the moment, so I’ll stick with the two extremes… a large car and a small motorbike. Maybe one day a hybrid 4×4 van will come along. Until then, though, I’ll just have to dream about it. 😄
おやすみなさい！
– B
Like this:
LikeLoading...
My camera & photos
I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
