342 Snowflakes Before Holloween

This pic shows two things new to me:
The truck is the 2011 Ford Ranger XL Supercab (sounds mighty impressive, huh? Who thinks of this stuff?) that I bought since my trusty 2004 Ranger XL got hit by another motorist this past Tuesday.
I needed a truck to carry on with life, and I was not too impressed with the used ones I saw for sale in the area.
They all wanted more than I felt they were worth, or had high mileage, or were outright P.O.S. "mechanics specials", which means they needed time and money put into them to make them sound and reliable.
No, thanks.
So, I threw my arms up, said, "Fuck it.", and bought another new one.
So, I've gone from no monthly vehicle payment to, once again, having a monthly vehicle payment.
Sucks, but, I didn't like the feeling of possibly buying a used truck that was either a rip-off in price, or a P.O.S. that would be a pain in the ass in the long run.
So, here's the 2011 model in the driveway.
Weeeee. :)

The other new thing in the pic is last night's "record and historic" snowfall.
I agree that getting measurable snow on the ground before Halloween could be some kind of record, but the amount I got in my neighborhood is a minuscule inch-and-a-half or thereabouts.
Supposedly, other towns in Connecticut got 10 or more inches, but, I'm not going to be driving out there today before it melts to see whether or not that's true or bullshit.
Yeah, I do think that even weather reports contain bullshit.
The predicted amounts sure failed miserably in my front yard, and I'm soooooooo glad they were way off, as is common, and if you were to go to weather.com and read the forecast for my town last night, you were reading predictions of 6 to 10 inches.
Period.
You were also shown video clips of their roving weatherman out near a busy road, acting as if he were braving the worst weather he'd seen in his life.
Typical, as they will always hype it up and make you feel like you are REALLY missing something if you don't stay tuned.
Well, you were wrong, again, guys who get paid to predict the weather, and I'm soooooo glad we didn't get shit for snow.
It should all be melted by the end of the afternoon with a sunny day and (below normal) 40-ish temperatures for a high.

Well, I got both tires changed on the WR-250FY firebreather, and since the snow should melt away, whether or not I go for a ride, today, really depends on how I feel, physically.
If I feel chilly, I probably won't.
If I feel good, I probably will.
That's how it goes when the weather temps dip below normal.

-John

341: Monthly Payments Ain't Fun

But, unfortunately, sometime they seem necessary.

What the title and first line refer to is my big news for the past week:
My trusty and clammy 2004 Ford Ranger is no more because I got hit by a young guy pulling out of his driveway on the way home from jerk this past Tuesday afternoon.
Yup, that's right.
I was simply driving down the street, approached a driveway on my right side, saw a car creeping forward toward the end of the driveway, and as I was nearly past it, the guy pulled out into the road and hit the rear of my former truck.
Yeah, he simply pulled out into me without stopping and allowing me to pass.

The rear of the truck spun to the left, pointed me toward the guy's front lawn toward my right, the front tires dug in, and the truck rolled over one complete time, landing on it's wheels, pointing in the opposite direction that I'd been traveling.
The truck looks like a mess, and I expect the insurance company to total it.
We will see what they say.

In the mean time, I needed something else to drive my ass around in, so, after being disgusted with the used vehicles I'd seen in ads, I broke down and just walked over to the local Ford dealer that's next door to jerk yesterday afternoon, signed zee papers, and drove a new 2011 Ranger off the lot.
It's very much like my 2004 crumpled one, with these differences:

*It's white instead of black.
*It has a larger cab with some room behind the seats for some cargo like groceries and riding gear.
*It has air conditioning, not that I wanted that option, but it was what they had on the lot.
*It has fancier-looking wheels, though they're still stamped out of steel and painted silver.
*Some of the control knobs on the dash are shaped a bit different, though they're in the same spot.
*If I remember from reading the features on the Ford website, it has some kind of electronic driving "aid" that kicks in if the sensors sense a loss of traction while cornering and/or braking, supposedly to help the truck stay on the road.
I don't know the details, but I'm not surprised it has something like this in 2011.
*It is not paid for like my other one was.

Time to get used to making monthly payments once again.

Not sure if the unseasonable weather this weekend will allow a decent Pachaug rock pile ride on the WR-250FY.
I hope so, as I'm mounting two new tires.
I'm using the trusted M23 on the front, and as an experiment, I'm using a Bridgestone M603 on the rear, an intermediate/hard terrain tire.
The M22 I usually use is a hard terrain tire, and I'm wondering if this M603 will trade a bit of hard terrain prowess for a bit better feel in the soft and mushy stuff.
In all honesty, I'm expecting to feel that it won't be worth it knowing that I've never tried something better in overall feel as the M22/M23, but, I want to at least give it a whirl out of sheer curiosity.
I'll let you know the results after I try it.

Off to jerk for a freebee Saturday morning,
-John

340: For Sale - 1907 POS Special

Another robbed pic from the Internet.
Here, we see Lenny Geekenheimer trying to get his POS running for just a few more minutes.
Again.

I'm still getting a chuckle (and an upset stomach, too) at the ads for used dirt bikes on Craigslist, message boards, and even the For Sale bulletin board at jerk.
Here, folks, are some of the time-honoured tricks that sellers of 1907 POS Specials and other pieces of shit put into their sorry-assed ads as they hope to pull the wool over your eyes:

*Hardly ridden, many new parts.

Who the frig's kidding who, here?
You really mean to tell me the piece of crap was hardly ridden, but it needed new piston, rings, every bearing in the chassis, and, of course, new, sick-looking graphics?
Blow it out your ass, you lying little turd.

*Bike has been well maintained, and I've put in new suspension bearings, wheel bearings, brake pads, cables, chain and sprockets, and blah-blah-blah, etc., etc., etc.

Translation:
The bike was never maintained, and that's because nothing about the bike was ever actually maintained to a high degree of mechanical soundness.
Instead, it was more like ride, ride, ride, and fuck everything else.
The reason the seller poured parts into it just before he put it up for sale was because he showed not a speck of interest in keeping his equipment in proper working order the whole time he rode it, and it is only now that he's trying to sell it that he feels he has to put money into it in hopes of it not being squarely placed into the POS category.
Often, since the guy never washed the bike and it looks like a rusty and grubby POS to any viewer, it will fall into the POS category, anyway.
And, rightfully so, fool.

*Bike is totally ridable and can easily be mint.
I just don't have the time to fix it.

This is another way of saying that the bike is a POS rat bike that's only worth $50, tops.
It may run, barely, and certainly not anything like it should, and completely forget about the chassis working properly.
It is just a beat-up old POS being foisted upon somebody.
As for making it mint, you may as well enjoy turning some old shack in the woods into a multi-million dollar palace fit for a king.
It would truly require that much time and money.

For Sale: 1998 Yahmah YZ 250 two stroke.

Typical 2nd grade spelling mistakes, and worse, the moron's poor pic of this POS shows that it's not even a 1998 model.
The only reason he says it is a 1998 is because his buddy's friend who once walked past a YZ-250K1 on a dealer's showroom swears it is.
At least from the left-hand side.

That's just a brief sample of the typical chicanery pulled by these wanna-be con artists, except they'll never qualify as an artist because they can't even write an ad without it looking and reading like it was done by a kid in preschool.

Still not certain about going out for a Pachaug rock n' roll pile ride, today.
It's still early, yet.
We'll see.

-John

339 Photons of Light Strike My Eyeball

Today, I went for another ride on the ol' Pachaug rock pile enduro loop, riding the WR-250FY, of course.
I brought the bike to jerk with me, and if you have read my past posts, you know I go into jerk for a Saturday morning freebee, usually from a half-hour to a couple of hours, depending on what NEEDS to be done and how much freebee juice I have in me at the time. ;)

I hit the trails at 9:57am, and I saw a group of riders (5 of them, if I recall) heading back toward where they parked their trucks at the start parking lot.
They were all (except for the last one, who seemed like a slow straggler) mounted on late-model KTM 2-stroke motorcycles, bikes that get a hearty thumbs-up from the off-road crowd.
I don't know whether they were just finishing their loop, or if they had to stop and turn back toward the trucks for something, but I never saw them again.

My ride was a good one, and I felt good on the bike.
The bright sunshine was really the only thing bugging me, and that's because I have a problem with picking out details on the ground in bright sunlight, even with the darkest goggle lens that Oakley makes for my L-Frame goggles.
It figures, though, that once I got home and immediately washed the bike, the sky was completely cloudy as if it might rain.
Cloudy for hours, too.
Damn.
I wish it would have been like that earlier while I was riding. :)

I'll decide tomorrow as to whether or not I'll go on a Sunday ride.
I should change both tires (yes, again), but I want to milk one more weekend out of them before I do, even though I already have two new Bridgestone M22 and M23 tires right here beside me.

-John

338 Dead Leaves on the Ground

Yes, folks, that's what fall is all about:
Lots of dead leaves falling off the trees because it is gradually getting darker and colder around here.
Isn't nature so natural? ;)

Well, I went for a bit of a hike along some of the Pachaug enduro loop last Sunday (since I decided to take the day off from riding it on my WR-250FY), and now, I wish I'd have ridden it, instead, because I saw no other hikers out there to chat with about the lovely leaves on the trees.
Oh, well.
It was worth a shot.
I still get a chuckle when I remember the deer-in-the-headlights expression on the faces of these hikers when I approach them on my motorcycle.
I really do believe they do not realize they're walking on a legal motorcycle trail loop.

Today (Saturday), I'm heading on out to the ol' Pachaug rock pile nice and early, and will probably be on the trail by 10:30am.

-John

337: We're in Leaf Peeper Heaven

I don't live in or ride my dirt bike in New Hampshire, but I did borrow this pic from somebody else's blog without cropping the caption at the bottom.
If you think it's funny, they get the credit. ;)

Yes, folk, we are, indeed, in the season where the leaves change color.
That means that while I was out on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop riding my WR-250FY yesterday (and it was a good ride, too, and I rode well), I came upon a few little expeditions under way on the trails.
These were groups of people - looking very much like a school teacher bringing her classroom of school kids out on the trails as some sort of field trip - walking the very same trails that make up parts of the Pachaug loop.
What were they doing out there?
Well, what else? - getting their jollies by seeing the leaves on the trees.
Why is this worthy of getting out there to see?
Probably because they think it's so pretty-looking and it makes them feel like they're really doing something that makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Personally, while I think the view of the leaves turning red, yellow, and gold can look mighty fine, I actually get a stronger feeling at seeing all this that winter is coming in a couple of months, and I'd better enjoy the above-freezing temperatures while I can.
And, while I like to walk the same trails I ride on at times, it really ain't to soak-in the scenery and marvel at it, but to better learn and memorize the details in the terrain that I would only otherwise see while riding that trail at speed.
So, if I come across some city slickers out there leave peepin' I just slow way down, wave and say, "Hello" as I putt by, and be on my merry way.

However, the facial expression I usually get from these wanna-be hikers is one of, "Hey! What are you doing out here riding that dirt bike? Can't you see we're trying to hike along, here?"
My immediate though is one of, "Why, yes, I can see that you are hiking along there...right along the official, state of Connecticut-approved Pachaug enduro loop motorcycle riding trail, my friend".

You see, I seriously doubt these people know where they are standing as I putt by and wave at them.
I'm willing to bet they think I'm some kind of nature-hating, scenery-wrecking, outlaw dirt bike rider who is out there messing things up for everybody else, and that I have no respect or admiration for the outdoors.
I'd actually get a kick out of it if one of these hikers gave me a snotty attitude like that.
Why?
Well, because I'd have to tell them that I'm the one out there on those trails every weekend, not them - I never see these people at any other time out on the actual trails.
Typically, they stay within sight of the SUV that got them there into the Pachaug state forest, and that means near the parking lot for cars.
So, there's no way in heck that I'd stand for that kind of a reception, one that I just very well may get some day, judging by the looks on these peoples' out-of-doors-for-once-in-their-lives faces.

So, today I may choose to not ride the bike, but instead, take a little hiking expedition of my own out onto the Pachaug enduro loop trails, hoping to run across more leaf peepers.
Maybe I'll be able to ask if they've seen anybody out riding a dirt bike past them. ;)

-John

336: Don't Wake Big Daddy

This is what will happen if we all were to ride our dirt bikes at the same time:

We'd wake up big daddy and really piss him off to the point that he'd probably use some silly excuse (that most dimwits out there would swallow hook, line, and sinker) to make dirt bike riding illegal from then, onward.

From time to time, I'll go to a motorcycle test ride website (a site that rides new models coming out and giving them all a thumbs up in order to please the manufacturer and get plenty of advertising in exchange) to see what they wrote about it.

One thing I'm seeing now, more than ever, is the constant reminding us all that we should keep the bikes just as they come off the showroom floors as far as the exhaust muffler and even airbox inlet size is concerned.

This is all to (supposedly) eliminate unwanted noise and keep overly loud dirt bikes off the trails and eliminate pissing-off the non-riders who also use the same trails for walking, pissing on trees, growing pot plants, and screwing their next door neighbor's wife while the neighbor is at work.

I'm completely against bikes that are too loud.

What constitutes a bike that is too loud?

If you want to put your fingers in your ears while it goes by you, that's too loud, especially if the retard riding it gasses it intentionally as he's near you because he thinks he's being a really cool macho man.

If a dirt bike is this loud, what the numbskull is doing is, basically, either using a muffler that's supposed to be used only on a race track like a motocross track (where there are no walking trails or houses or scenic vistas to stop and drool over while you fantasize about living back in 1801 when things were just so pure and simple (but, of course, you'd still expect to have your electric lights, TV, microwave oven, fast food joints, Internet radio, and your new SUV or sporty little car)), or the retard modified the original muffler to make it that loud.

Again, he did this because he's a numbskull and maybe even a simpleton.

So, what the motorcycle press has been doing lately (although the less sound = more ground slogan has been around since the 1970s) is telling us that we should be happy with how the bike sounds and (most importantly) how the bike actually runs and performs straight off the showroom floor.

I have a severe problem with this because my very own WR-250FY firebreather comes off the showroom floor totally choked-up in order to meet sound and noise and exhaust gas emissions standards and regulations that are ridiculously tight, stringent, and, basically I feel, meant to eventually squash the ability to produce dirt bikes at all sometime in the future when they make them even tighter.

The way my bike ran off the showroom would basically be an embarrassment to Yamaha Motor Co. if it's showroom condition was actually how it was supposed to ridden, especially by a rider who knows how to ride, and ride well.

In order for the bike to run as it should, you need to remove obstructions built into the bike at the airbox inlet, exhaust muffler outlet, unplug a wire from the electrical part known as the ECU, and change parts in the carburetor that basically supply more fuel to be burned and make some kind of power a 250cc dirt bike is expected to make.

I did these, and am completely satisfied with how the bike runs and performs.

So, what's the big deal?

These test review websites (and print magazines) are literally telling readers to leave the bike in at least semi-corked-up condition and just live with the poor performance.

In fact, they even write about how the bike feels weak and how it would be nice to have more power and better throttle response, yet they don't even mention that they could get that performance by simply uncorking the bike of it's silly restrictions.

They do this because they feel that big daddy (or big brother, or the US government) will clamp down and close for good any remaining legal off-road riding areas unless we all tiptoe around on wheezy bikes that can barely be heard running.

To me, this is a sad thing because I'd rather eat shit and die than ride my WR-250FY in the condition it was when brand-new.

Yes, it was that plugged-up and that lousy.

I know that you can uncork these bikes yet not have the noise it makes overly loud, and that is how mine is, so, why are we reading this stuff?

Unfortunately, it seems to me that it's because they're bowing to pressure from enviro-groups that threaten action like having riding areas closed down.

Closed down unless we never as much as make a peep or turn over a single stone laying on the ground, or, heaven forbid, kick up a cloud of dust as we ride by or disturb a patch of sand that hasn't been disturbed in 10,000,000 years.

Maybe, there are even some double agent back stabbers who are really environMENTAL fanatics working for these motorcycle test websites and magazines.

Yes, whenever I read this poor excuse for a motorcycle review, I want to throw up because I feel it is simply trying to appease an enemy that is going to eventually squash dirt bike riding for good, no matter how quiet your bike is, or how polite and courteous you are to others, or no matter how much ass you kiss.

I feel that they are simply buying a little more time while giving-in a little more, and a little more.

Off to jerk,

-John

335: Ambush on the Rockpile Trail

In a way, this is what happened to me while toward the end of my Pachaug rockpile ride yesterday.

I went for another weekend Pachaug enduro loop ride yesterday, and I decided to change things up a bit by doing something I hadn't done all year:
I left the house later so that I would finish the ride at dusk.
While this made washing the bike a pain in the ass since I'd have to rely on my outside porch light, it made the ride, itself, enjoyable since late afternoon and dusk favor my eyesight because there is little to no bright sunlight making me squint all over the place.
Because of the improved vision, I turned up the wick a bit and rode my favorite pine-needled sections faster than I have in a while, if not ever, and found that immensely enjoyable.
That, alone, made the ride worthwhile.
I can only imagine what it would be like to have what's considered normal vision, both in having 20/20 and not having trouble with bright sunlight washing-out details on the ground.

Another thing new that I did was adding yet another trail section that I believe I've never ridden before in my life, a section that is an actual part of the Pachaug enduro loop.
You see, there are a few trail sections that I skip every time I ride the loop because I think they suck and are not fun for me.
Typically, that means sections that are very wet and very rocky to the point that it's more of a case with putting up with terrain I don't like than getting some enjoyment out of it.

The thing that's different about this new section is that not only is it another section that is a part of the loop that I'd been skipping, but I believe it was not a part of the Pachaug enduro loop back in the days when I first rode it with some friends in the late 1980s, and the trail I'd been taking (allowing me to skip it) up until yesterday was actually part of the loop back then.
So, what I did was instead of turning right at a three-way intersection, I turned left, and this basically had me making a bigger clockwise loop to get to the same spot a few miles later.
I have to admit that the first half of this new (to me) section wasn't fun because it was similar to a snotty rock garden, but after that was past, it was enjoyable.

New England is synonymous with rocks, folks.

The title of this bloggy post and the pic to go along with it is in reference to what happened at about the 50 mile mark (the ride was 56 miles in total).
My ol' buddy Tim the squirrel defender and the outdoors man was, basically, waiting along one of the last paved road sections for me to ride by, and when he saw my headlight coming up from behind him, he pulled his car a few feet ahead and stopped it squarely in the path of where I'd be turning off the pavement onto the trail.

This was a drag because I didn't feel like stopping to talk with anybody, really, because it was already a few minutes before sunset and I did not want to spent the best minutes of lighting conditions just making small talk.
Not just because it was Tim, but no matter who is would have been.
However, I was still courteous enough to grant him his wish and did stop to chat for about five minutes before telling him I had to get going.
He wanted me to stay longer, but, he's a big boy, now, and I did not leave the house later just to waste the best part of the ride (lighting-wise) chatting about nothing important.

Of course, the fact that I'm a criminal and an asshole who did it on purpose in his mind for killing a squirrel with my Ford Ranger almost two years ago has some bearing on this, but, that's not the main reason I wanted out of there - I just wanted to continue the ride without interruption.
Period.
No matter who it was.

So, I finished the ride at dusk, and it was a good one.
I got the WR-250FY washed via the light from a single light bulb, and although it wasn't as thorough a job as usual, it was good enough.
The bike is currently serviced and ready for another ride on the rockpile loop, and odds are, I'll go today.
If I do, I'll probably edit this post with an update on how it went.

Hoping for no ambush,
-John

Edit:

Today's Pachaug rock pile ride went off even later than it did yesterday, to the point that I cut about 15 miles out of it for a total of 43.
The ride was pretty good and I feel like I rode good as well.
I made another decent pass through my favorite pine-needled section, although I believe yesterday's was a little bit faster, although at another favorite section I rode faster today than I did yesterday.
All-in-all, it was a decent ride out there today.

Next weekend, though, I'll probably leave the house at a more normal time so that I can both not worry about running out of daylight and be able to wash the bike in daylight, too.

Another good thing is that I did not run into an ambush on the trail. ;)

-John

334 Illiterate Idiots

Here is the real reason why some people claim that they don't need no stinkin' service manual to wreck - oops! - work on their motorcycles.
This person seems to be in the early stages of supreme idiocy, and is probably in extreme bliss since bliss is made of ignorance.

The weather on this Sunday morning is cloudy, and we had a short rain shower that wet the ground.
I plan on heading out to the ol' Pachaug rock pile to ride, once again, the ol' Pachaug enduro loop.
I'm feeling pretty good, got a good night's sleep, and want to have a good ride on the WR-250FY.
I'll be more cautious in the shadows where I don't expect rapid evaporation of the water on the ground (and the rocks and tree roots), but, I've done it plenty of times before in these conditions.

The above photo is my thoughts on the usual reaction most people have when they ask for advice when they want to fix-up the 1907 Schmencycle they just picked up.
See, the scenario is usually one where the guy gets a dirt bike for low bucks and has visions of roosting off into the sunset for a total cash outlay of something like $1.98 on that very same bike.
The catch is that the bike was bought for low bucks in the first place because it's a beat-up P.O.S., and it needs a lot of work and money to make right.

Well, the typical guy goes onto a message board, starts a thread about having picked the bike up for cheap, and asks other members for advice on fulfilling his off-road riding dream.
In other words:
He states that the bike has problems (usually isn't even in running condition) and asks how he can make the bike into a good runner that can be ridden and enjoyed - for low bucks.

When I answer, I'll always recommend he buy himself a factory Service Manual for his exact year and model of motorcycle.
This may sound like sound advice to you, but most of these guys looking for assistance take that advice like Dracula being asked to take a swig of holy water.
The usual reasons they don't like the thought of that are:

1) They cost too much
2) They are too difficult to get
3) They cost too much
4) They are difficult to read, follow, and understand
5) They cost too much
6) They "don't tell you shit, anyway"
7) They cost way too much, and this is a low-buck project, remember?

I laugh when the dimwit plainly shows he has no intention of picking up the correct Service Manual because, shortly thereafter, he'll be asking the very same questions that Hallmark the typical guy trying to get his bike running without having a clue as to what he's doing.
Yes, he'll scoff at spending the money for a book written about his very own bike, but he'll spend days and weeks on it trying to make it a go without one.

In the above seven reasons not to get a Service Manual (sharp readers can tell there are really only four), reasons two, four, and six are downright funny to me.
Why?
Because they are the kinds of things written by a complete illiterate moron, as shown in the above pic.

Where do you get a Service Manual for a 1979 Honda XL-185S?
Geeeeeeeeee, Bucky.
Did you try asking at a Honda motorcycle dealer?
Or, perhaps you were shocked that Wal-Mart didn't have a copy on the shelf, right next to the pantyhose and toothpaste (made in China), and gave up due to that traumatic experience.

Service Manuals being difficult to understand?
Sure.
As long as you have no idea on how to or inclination to gain knowledge and understanding by reading a book specifically written for the very same P.O.S. that your grubby little hands are molesting.
Perhaps you were expecting 497 full-color photographs per page explaining how you are supposed to reach for a 10mm wrench in order to turn a particular nut counter-clockwise in order to loosen it, Leroy.
Hmmmmmm, yes.
Maybe we all should wonder how that information was left out while we take a seat next to you on the blue bus, huh?

Reason six is basically an extension of reason number four, as this is what the numbskull shouts when he throws a temper tantrum because he's frustrated that he can't ride his low-buck P.O.S. after months of trying to get it working correctly his way.
Folks, what the dimwit really means is that in order for his inept brain to follow a Service Manual, it probably would need 497 pictures (complete with drawings of little puppy dogs running around chasing butterflies with human-looking smiles on their faces) just to show him how to remove the seat.
Since producing such a book would probably require 1,584,083 pages, I doubt that Leroy and his P.O.S. could afford it.
See?
He could afford and easily obtain the Service Manual as they are really written, but the one of his daydreams would be ridiculously expensive, not to mention impossible to carry around easily.

Off to the rock pile,
-John

Edit:

Today's rock pile ride out on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop was good.
There was water in the usual spots where it collects after a good rain (I wish it were like it was in July - dry as a bone), but that didn't pose too much a problem for me and my WR-250FY with the Bridgestone M22/M23 hard terrain tires.
Even though the tires don't work well in anything wet or soft, I got through those wet and mushy sections in one piece.

I really enjoyed my favorite pine-needled and whooped-out section today, even though I got the timing of a few whoops wrong and ended-up riding off the side of the trail for a moment.
No big deal because I just picked a spot where I'd make my correction and rode back on track without stopping.
Maybe someday I'll have the placement and shape of all of those whoops memorized, something that's hard to do when I won't see those miles of whoops until I ride through them next weekend.
Too bad I don't live right there.
Riding out to that section (and therefor, the whole Pachaug enduro loop) would be something I could do even after jerk, not just on weekends.

I'm looking toward going out there next weekend, and that's a good sign.

I also saw several illegals out there on motocross bikes and an ATV coming by in the opposite direction, so, I just pulled off to the side and waved until they all passed.
No real skin off my ass, just as long as we don't have a head-on collision someday.
That would suck - been there, done that.

-John