60,000 Mile Bonneville By Triumph

I bought this splendid machine in early October 2007 off the showroom floor at the late lamented Pure Triumph of Fort Lauderdale. It cost $8,000 out the door.


It is showing some signs of age after four and a half years of exposure to the Florida Keys' corrosive salt laden air.


The valve cover gasket and washers need to be replaced each time the valves are checked every 12,000 miles otherwise the gasket tends to seep oil. The engine doesn't lose enough oil that you'd notice but it does give it the irritating patina of an old style leaky Bonneville from the 1960s.


This leaky pot of oil spreads lubricant on the final drive chain and keeps said chain functioning for twice as long as the expected 20,000 miles. I love my Loobman chain oiler.


My Bonneville serves me perfectly in the Fabulous Florida Keys, starting every time I touch the button, running smoothly on regular gas, a gallon every 43 miles.


If I didn't have a dog and a wife to haul around from time to time I wouldn't drive a car.


Cars are known as cages to motorcyclists, because they surround the prisoners with metal and limit their connection to the outside world. A motorcycle carries a certain danger inherent to the ride and the orders like to feel like outsiders or rebels.


Aside from the imagery I like riding because every journey is a life affirming adventure.


The Bonneville is a pretty bike styled on it's forebears from the sixties when fifty horsepower qualified it as a super bike. Nowadays sixty horsepower qualifies it as barely adequate. That I have made mine ugly with useful luggage sets me in a category all my own. I ride my Bonneville, my girlie bike. I travel by Bonneville, on my beginner's bike.


I stuck an Emgo top case on the back, Pelican 1430 cases on the sides and called it my adventure bike. I ride to work on Highway One and love my commute as a result.


Here it is at home, my unnamed ride, my 15,000 mile per year companion. My flying carpet, my Iron Butt certificate winner.


My Bonneville is the bike made for me and after all these miles I still get a thrill every time I think about going for a ride.



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Weird Waterfront

"Excess" seems like it should be an irritating name for a boat but I have no doubt it gives any passenger who notices a reason to grin. This is Key West after all.


This is not Austin. Any city that has to sell shirts and stickers imploringpeople to "keep" a place weird has missed the bus. Weirdness has to be innate, not for sale.


I have no idea what she and her prosperous chest were selling.


For some, the idea of a gay oriented charter boat is weird. One day perhaps we will get past it.


For everyone else there is a dolphin shaped tour boat.


Pirate flag notwithstanding that seems weird to me. It must be seaworthy but you wouldn't know it.


Old ships new boats all crammed together on Key West's waterfront ready to take you out to sea.


Not everyone is excited about another day at work.


Sleeping dogs are just too cute. Call this a gratuitous dog picture and it's not Cheyenne for a change!



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USCGC Mohawk Dying By Degrees

It's still there the little old survivor of World War Two.


Not for long though, as this ship is to be sunk soon and very deliberately. And not a word about it on the Mohawk's website!


They needed four hundred thousand dollars to refurbish this survivor of Atlantic Convoys. But the Mohawk is an inconvenient ship.


The Mohawk is blocking development of this valuable waterfront which the locally influential Spottswood family wants to use to create an upscale marina with shops and offices.


The Mohawk and the marina combined would limit the waterfront space which needs to be kept open to allow US navy ships to maneuver in the basin which belongs to them. So bit by bit the Mohawk is being disassembled prior to being towed to Sanibel Island.


There the Mohawk will be sunk to encourage diving off Sanibel Island.


Key West will get a nice marina development funded by the city with profits for the Spottswoods and so it goes. Glorious gentrification.


They don't tell the truth either. "Closed for Sinking."


The same signs will go up around the exclusive marina no doubt.


There should be enough room for the other coastguard cutter on the seawall.


I have no doubt the Ingham would be sacrificed if it proved necessary for the marina development's future.


Meanwhile life, and sailing, goes on outside the Navy basin.


I saw an old yellow Lab struggling manfully to totter along despite the failing hind legs.


Just like the Mohawk, except here not discarded when too old. Nor should the Mohawk be discarded. Bastards.




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Stranded Harley

Meet Aaron from Colorado. He's been living in the islands a few months and decided riding a motorcycle was the way to go in the sunny Florida Keys. Two weeks ago he got his first bike, and Friday morning while riding to his work at Sloppy Joe's the Harley went dead on him.


Electrical problem he thought as we pushed the dead 1997 Sportster to the parking lot of the porn shop on Boca Chica Key. I offered him a ride to town, he accepted gratefully and ended up ten minutes late for work.


The porn shop was a clean well lighted place packed floor to ceiling with DVDs, which surprised me, and the clerks cheerfully acknowledged Aaron's predicament promising to keep an eye on the dead Harley. Aaron was super embarrassed about riding bitch on my Bonneville but I assured him he was lucky I wasn't wearing my pink Crocs which fact didn't seem to cheer him up. He did notice how smooth the Bonneville was compared to his Harley. Good lad.


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Old Stores

Los Cubanitos, the Cuban dudes, is a marine hardware store known to locals as Cuban Joe's and despite the arrival across the street, a good few years ago, of the predatory West Marine chain, these guys are still here.



They've been here a while and they aren't going it seems, and if you don't believe me check out their signs, worn by the passage of a lot of time.



The child seat in the electric car surprised me for some reason. Very modern I'm sure.



That's West Marine on the edge of the picture, but I was actually noticing the Fast Buck Freddie's sign, the annex of the main store on Duval Street.



I used to work here years ago shipping and receiving in the warehouse. I spent hours sitting sweating in the shade watching the Conch Trains go by and smelling the fried fish from BO's Fish wagon across the street.



Kermit's Key Lime shop has made headlines over the years as the quintessential Key West shoppe. I caught Kermit in a pensive moment behind his store. I wonder if he gets sick of green and yellow all the damned time.



The other weird food place, the Peanut Butter restaurant on Duval Street closed after a few months, which couldn't be a surprise as they never seemed to charge much for their weird food offerings. Then there is Schooner Wharf, known erroneously to enthusiastic visitors as Schooner's Wharf. It's been here forever and seems likely to stay, as do many of their patrons.



And why wouldn't they, to stay and watch the charming wild chickens of Key West.



A last little piece of Old Key West they say. Maybe, but its not the only one.


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Fizzy Water Wars

I saw this sign at my local gas station.


I am a Coke guy, I prefer my cola mixed with vanilla essence, while the newer generation seems to like lemon essence. But still, a tiny bottle shaped for our "convenience" at an absurd price? Really? I hate advertising.



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