More weekend fun

I failed to mention the 2nd scooter store that I visited on Friday. It wasn't much to look at though they did carry the Derbi line of scooters that I had not seen before. They're racy looking, have highly tweaked motors for performance and are more overpriced than the Aprillias that I saw last week.

I did get to see the new TN'G 150cc machine that I only heard about at the first store. And the guys at EcoMoto were correct about the stilted attitude of this new machine. It seem the company decided that this scoot needed 13" wheels and tires and so, to provide plenty of suspension clearance under the fender, longer springs and shocks were installed, jacking the back end of this thing way to high. It looks foolish. Having the ass end all jacked up destroys the look of the Milano while at the same time making sitting at a traffic light a very dicy situation for somebody my size. Literally, it was taller than most motorcycles and I had to slide my butt off to one side to get my foot down flat on the ground. Stupid! Its really stupid!

Oddly enough, with the 13" inch wheels, the company went with a very low profile tire and making the overall diameter of the tire no more than 1.5" taller than the 10" wheel and tire combo used on the smaller engined Milanos. But the shock absorbers and springs apear to be 3" longer on the tall machine than on the shorter one giving it that "kicked in the ass" look and tippy seat height. Too bad too, because the price of the bigger machine is just $300 more than the 125cc machine and is a bargain for its engine size and performance.

Friday night it was Raptors baseball again and Vicki joined me at the last minute for a fine evening of baseball. It was a really good time, unseasonably cool, a full moon came up over the Wasatch mountains and the Raptors beat the Great Falls White Sox in only their second shutout this year.

Saturday was a hike, planned during the baseball game, with Vicki. I might mention here, if I haven't before, that Vicki is Lily's mother, Lily being son Noah's girlfriend of two years and a multiple day road trip. Anyway, she has a trail that she likes to hike but was afraid to hike alone for fear of cougars and so we decided to go together. The trail is called Hidden Meadow and its a seldom used trail that begins just above my house. Its not well hiked because its steep! And 5 miles long too approximately, and all going up until the meadow. This is not a meandering, up and down trail, its all inclined, rocky and loose for most of the trip.

It was beautiful at the top with a fantastic view of the top of Taylor Canyon and the back side of Snowbasin Ski Resort. The canyon nixed any idea that it would be possible to hike all the way to the ski resort, doing so would require most of a day to cross from the point where we stoped hiking. We had a nice rest, a little food, I was nearly attacked by a hummingbird that swooped in to see my red t-shirt and then we headed back home.

Remember I said it was up going to the meadow? Going down is tougher than going up! Going down was also rocky and loose, this time with tired legs, toes crunching into toe boxes of boots and knees that got to crying about the amount of fat body I was subjecting them to. My knees really were hurting by the time we made it back to the car. Without being able to stride forward, and having to lean back to keep the boots under the body, my knees were done for at the end of the hike.

But beer and Aleve and rest in the shade of the backyard invigorated both of us after our hike. It turned out to be a perfect day for a walk and we enjoyed each other's company as much as the scenery and the unbelievable vistas.

I didn't do much the rest of the day though.