I’m revisiting my Valtcan titanium pressure cooker and now using a new titanium cutting board. Today’s recipe is an old favorite of mine ; potato soup. This is a Fall favorite of mine when the air gets a chill and the leaves start to change color. It’s really a quick and easy recipe on those chilly days when I’m out exploring with my dog. So why use titanium ? It’s lightweight, and has no micro pores that would harbor bacteria. It’s doesn’t have any coatings that would contam

I have an old antique camping cookstove that runs on alcohol. I’ve had it for years, and I recently started carrying it around in the trunk of my URAL motorcycle. It’s not very heavy, but it is just a bit large for backpacking. But it’s perfect for tooling around the woods on my motorcycle. The really neat thing is being able to adjust the flame higher or lower without a simmer ring like on most modern alcohol stoves. I misspoke in the video by saying it’s self pressurizing w

I recently picked up a new to me titanium wok. Why ? Because I happen to like stir fry meals, and I like having them when I’m out in the backwoods with my dog. I gave the wok a test run at home first, then packed it on my haversack and off we went. This thing’s pretty awesome and it incredibly lightweight. It weighs maybe a pound or so and I ample enough size for two people. As light as it is, I might just have to replace my sheet iron pans with it. I’m going to get in some

I like being alone. Not because I don’t care, but because peace feels better than forced conversations. I like quiet mornings with no expectations. Long walks where I can hear my own thoughts. Having moments that belong only to me. I was like everyone else once…where I feared the silence…but now I crave it. Away from the hustle and bustle of life I can slow down and listen to my thoughts with great clarity. There are some of us in this world who hear their inner voices and th

A video of showing the way to operate a URAL motorcycle. The reverse lever, the two wheel drive, and some of the features found on my 2007 model Gear Up.

I recently took my service dog Ryland, on a short camping trip with me to the backwoods. Other campers have been here before and we found a spot with a really old picnic table and a large fire pit. Here, I was able to test out my new portable hand made bucksaw, and later to bake a small pepperoni pizza in my Bemco oven. The pup enjoyed laying around the fire pit in the dirt, because thats what dog do. I used my Marine Corps issue Diamond Brand tent instead of my camping tarp

I took my dog out on a kayak trip recently and carried all our gear on my Russian made URAL motorcycle. Made in Siberia in 2007, the URAL is a 750cc twin cylinder boxer style engine motorcycle with a sidecar and 2WD. Ordinarily I ride Harley Davidson motorcycles, but they don’t seem to do well in the woods. Of course they offer the Pan American adventure bikes, but I don’t really see being able to haul my service dog, a kayak and camping gear on one of those bikes. The URAL f

Spending an afternoon in the woods with my dog.

Simple maintenance on a Russian motorcycle

Finding a better way to steer your sidecar hack

I’m drawn inexorably to the woods and wild places. I always have been. Since I’m retired now I have plenty of time to get out and explore more often than I used to. So what does an old fart like me do with all this time ? I roam around the woods. The night before I head out, I look at my old USGS topographical maps and see if I can spot anomalies. Mostly old overgrown logging roads or seemingly dead trails seldom used. Today was such a day. I loaded up my Russian URAL motorc

It’s no secret that I spend more time in the woods lately than I used to. Why not ? I’m retired now, so why not make the best of it instead of sitting around the house and staring at the walls ? I’m into eating better food these days and I can’t afford restaurant prices — so I cook my own. Today’s recipe is an experiment. I don’t have an actual recipe for this, so I decided to just “wing it.” The prep time for this dish is about 30 minutes, and about 20 minutes on the grill.

Me and my service dog went for a long ride yesterday. Today was a serious picnic ride to a local park a few towns over. I’m no chef, but I can cook decent food. Today’s menu was Pad Thai — or at least my version of it. I did all the prep work at home before we packed up for the trip. I pre sliced the bell peppers…red, yellow, and green. I used shredded carrots and long slices of vidalia onions too. I added minced garlic — about a full tablespoon. I don’t care much for kale an

I got up early this morning and packed up my springer Harley. I put the dog in her new box, then made a stop to gas up the Harley. Today we’re doing a “Mountains to the Sea” ride in Maine. We rolled from Sabattus to Rangley, to just north of Camden, then back to Sabattus. According to Map Quest this is a brief description…. “This 260-mile loop across central and western Maine takes you from the rolling lakes region to the western mountains and out to the midcoast. The entire

Obviously you have seen the pictures of Ryland, my service dog, riding in the pair of sidecar motorcycles that I have. We ride a 1998 Harley Electra Glide with a Champion Escort sidecar. She absolutely loves that thing. And — we have a 2007 Russian URAL with a sidecar and 2WD. We use it for winter riding in the snow. However, I have a 3rd motorcycle that has only two wheels. It started out as a 2002 Night Train, but it’s had a lot of modifications over the years. It’s been c

Changing out my hydraulic fork tubes for a dampened springer front end.

An afternoon spent teaching kids is always a good day.

Sometimes an adventure in the backwoods doesn’t always go as planned.

The Bemco oven is IT ! A must have for motorcycle adventures.

Pulling the driveline to replace the u-joints