North American Tag-O-Rama!

I had a hard time deciding where to bring Egg. First, I thought I'd head to Lubec, and show him the easternmost point in the US. Sadly, I had to work today, so there wasn't time. Then, I thought I'd bring him up to Baxter State Park, but as I learned last night Baxter is closed to motorcycles. I briefly considered continuing on up to Madawaska, but that pesky work thing got in the way so instead we turned home, stopping along the way for a nice dinner with friends.

Still, after that long wet ride, Egg and I were both feeling the chill, so I made us a couple mugs of grog to warm up with.

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101115_232704.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1649-2/IMG_20101115_232704.jpg"></a>

After warming up, we cracked open a couple beers and had a look at the swag Egg has collected in his travels.

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101115_235059.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1652-2/IMG_20101115_235059.jpg"></a>

As we emptied the beers, he convinced me to make a swap...

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101115_235145.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1643-2/IMG_20101115_235145.jpg"></a>

... then got down on the floor to play with the cat for a bit, while I had another drink.

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101115_235343.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1661-2/IMG_20101115_235343.jpg"></a>

Feeling no pain, we decided to get tattoos to commemorate our tour together

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101115_235446.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1664-2/IMG_20101115_235446.jpg"></a>

then sacked out for the night. Morning came too early, but Egg was a sport and came with me to work.

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101116_092053.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1667-2/IMG_20101116_092053.jpg"></a>

A few major systems had broken down overnight, so Egg pitched in to help out, first manning a computer...

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101116_105121.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1673-2/IMG_20101116_105121.jpg"></a>

... then dealing with a long vendor support call for me.

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101116_105213.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1670-2/IMG_20101116_105213.jpg"></a>

After all of that, he was feeling a bit run down, so I got him a bottle of wake-up juice and the rest of the day just flew by.

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/IMG_20101116_105241.jpg.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1676-2/IMG_20101116_105241.jpg"></a>

At dinner last night, Egg told me about his interest in American History, so after work we took a ride out to Minute Man National Historical Park. Sadly, the visitor center was shut by the time we got there.

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/CIMG0207.JPG.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1682-2/CIMG0207.JPG"></a>

It was a bit dark and wet, but we were still able to visit the Paul Revere Capture Site...

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/CIMG0211.JPG.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1712-2/CIMG0211.JPG"></a>

... before heading on to the new tag:

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/CIMG0212.JPG.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1709-2/CIMG0212.JPG"></a>

Detail:

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/CIMG0214.JPG.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1703-2/CIMG0214.JPG"></a>

Egg is hiding in the wall to the left side of the marker:

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/CIMG0215.JPG.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1718-2/CIMG0215.JPG"></a>

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/CIMG0218.JPG.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1721-2/CIMG0218.JPG"></a>

<a href="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/v/moto/Tag-O-Rama/CIMG0216.JPG.html"><img src="http://www.smartestmonkeys.com/gallery/d/1697-2/CIMG0216.JPG"></a>

Go get'em Bruce

Hey Bruce


It appears the fates had something nobler that just a simple Tag planned for me. I wasn't meant to just putt over to Portsmouth on a beautiful day and pick up the Tag. Nor was I meant to race up to Yarmouth and scoop up the object of my quest there.

No, I was meant to forge my way to Concord, fighting the rain, wind, and fog. Riding bleary eyed to rescue our beloved egg from the cold rainy November night.

I got home at 1 am from work and just thought to take a peak at the forums to see where in Northern Maine our little bundle ended up, and to my amazement, it was only 1 hours South of me. Surely this cannot be!? I looked out the window at the rain pouring down, and wind bending the trees. "I will go out first thing"

I went to bed - tossed and turned, then at 3:00 am sprang out of bed, got suited up, and road through the night just as Paul Revere did so many years ago. I realized that this was my purpose - to rescue the prescious from the nasty weather. To take this little wonder home to my dry warm house.

So, alas - here it is!!!!







And now, some much needed sleep.

+1 for midnight tagging

Andycap: Nice tagging, super effort....great story.

WTG AndyCap!

WOW!!! :eek1

Awesome grab there Andycap!!!

3:30am in the driving rain???...you're hardcore as hell!!!





You'd fit in just fine out here in the PNW!!

C'mon, Cap - You can be in Colorado by Friday if you get a move on.

Hardcore man, H A R D C O R E.

Nice grab AndyCap! Way to show them how New Englanders roll!

I must be on the very end of the string here. I didn't see AndyCap's post and subsequent ones before I left at ~10:30.



(I'm going mildly bonkers here. I go away for a long weekend and come back to find The Egg back in New England, in a bunch of places I already know, places that I can get to without a major expedition, put there by people I know, and when I finally get the chance to snag it, I get bruced! Oh, well, at least it's not as "expensive" a brucing as it could have been!)

And, oh yeah, congratulations from me too, AndyCap.

Thanks for the cheers, but I think our little friend had a few cheers too many. A quick update on our visit, and then he goes to work with me. It appears he has a thing for technology

+++++

So as you all know, we got hammered with a pretty heavy rain storm last night. Our little friend was cold, wet, and wrung out. So I made up some hot cocoa, and showed him some pictures from our vacation to Disney World.



The hot cocoa warmed us up a tad, but he was still shivering from the cold November rain. I had just the thing to cut right through that chill.



I no sooner finished the pour, he was toasting and slammed down his glass. I guess he was thirsty. :eek1


So, I offered a second, and he graciously accepted as he said, "It would be rude to turn down such a generous offer."

The second went down a bit slower. After 2, I bowed out, showed him where he would be sleeping, set him up with a towel, showed him around a bit, and gave him the run of the place - I was tired an needed sleep. He was very understanding.



None of you warned me to lock my liquor cabinet! I woke up late this morning to find him passed out on the floor with a good number of empty bottles littered around him.



:eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 :eek1

Fortunately my wife is out of town, she would have had something to say. I just hope he isn't too sick.




Well, off to work I go, with the lush in hand.

Great recovery Bruce

outstanding visit so far as well

That little bastard can really put away the liqueur huh...good thing I moved him along so quickly

Hey Mark...now you get to wear the Bruce name tag for a bit..

Brilliant man, brilliant !!!

Yeah, well. Sometimes you're the brucer. Sometimes you're the brucee.

C'est la vie.

On a completely unrelated but related topic: If somewhere along the way we lose the Egg (or he disintegrates under the Nth Dremel attack), I can volunteer this guy to be the next mascot:



(I mean, really, what else can one do with that? )

I think that belongs in the WTF picture thread down in the basement...

There's a wole lotta jokes in that picture right there now....