summer: Edmonton, Laguna Seca, Solvang, Calistoga, Vancouver

Rocky Mountain National Drag Races in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ...Drag racing makes sense in Alberta...since the roads are mostly dead straight with one right angle turn about every 100 miles....or every 200 miles. There was a Christian womens group giving away free water in bottles (their slogan was something like "Free Water...as God intended")...it was hot.







Moto GP at Laguna Seca, California.....Rossi waving (to me?) at the top of the corkscrew, etc. About 50,00 spectators per day (I did two days) Huge vendor infield area...all sorts of bikes to look at. Kenny Roberts was there signing stuff....lots of "scenery"....loud and hot and fast. Lorenzo (who won) looked smooth and effortless out front..evrybody else looked like they were trying harder but achieving less.












And then down to SoCal to the strange (Medieval Denmark with Palm Trees) town of Solvang, California to look at the Motorcycle Museum: V-8 Moto Guzzi, etc. All sorts of exotic bikes. Worth the trip...






Back up the coast through Big Sur, Carmel, etc....back to my brother's place in Silicon Valley. On my birthday we went into "the city" to Scuderia West KTM Motorcycle Shop in San Francisco. Bought a ASV brake lever for my birthday. Apparently the Scuderia boss has a Laverda collection.





Then up north of SF through the Napa Valley to Calistoga and the National Half Mile Flat Track....fairground atmosphere with display of historic and modern flat trackers....greasy burger fry smoke drifting across the track...lots of drunk people looking for their seats in the grandstand...funny ....famous guys sitting near me..Dick Mann and that guy who made the film "On any Sunday".







Back to Alberta to meet my wife coming in from Jamaica and then we drove to Vancouver on the Canadian west coast (I lived there for 15 years...didn't like that much...but its a nice place to visit) Deeley Motorcycle Museum in Vancouver is a Harley dealership now but has a huge motorcycle collection and they now do special exhibitions...this one was very professionally curated....posh installation...its about how and why the Brit bike industry went under in the 60s/70s......donation only admission. excellent.




This circular podium (below) is spinning!!




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Then I drove home to New Brunswick...6000 k. east.

That looks like an awesome summer. Did you get the Ducati girl's number?

Of course I got her number, I ride a Superduke.

by the way, the guy that rides that KTM RC8 flat tracker (its based on an Adventure 950, not a SD) is only 17 !!! Thats him in the shades.

I live fifteen miles north of Solvang. It is nice to have that museum in my backyard. I frequent it often. I saw Giacomo Agostini in that museum with Phil Reed. They both have retired bikes on display there. The guys collection is about three times larger than what You see. He rotates stock about once a year. Thanx for the report, glad you made it to the races. Manitoba Hell's Angels? Hell's Angels don't use conditioner in their hair or wash their dungerees.

You went to the wrong races in Edmonton.

No SDs but maybe next year.

One more "summer" event..I went down to Maine, USA for a vintage bike (and airplane) rally last Sunday...check out the orange...most have a bit more "fire" than the KTM orange...







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