Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

Ahh, solitude. I ( a slow learner ) finally learned to cherish solitude; prior to that I suffered terribly over the years when
alone for extended periods. I am now certain the suffering existed solely because of my desire to not be alone. Buddhism
promotes the concept of extinguishing desire because desire is linked with suffering. Based on my experience I think this is
a sound strategy, and it dovetails nicely with what your sidewalk guru said right before you rode out of San Francisco ( "here, now", etc. ).



Do you know the story of the French sailor, Bernard Moitessier ? In the very first singlehanded nonstop round the world sailing race, he
was in contention for the win, which if achieved would have given him the sort of fame in France which Neil Armstrong had in the US. So what
does this guy Bernard do ? On the home stretch he reverses his course and sails to the other side of the world. Clearly
the dude enjoyed his time alone. His book "The Long Way" is well worth reading even if you aren't a sailor.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Moitessier#Solo_around_the_world


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Still following this RR and loving it.
Keep up the good work!

So how many miles is the beast showing?
What is your impression of the bike so far?

like the bernard moitessier thing... the guy's winning the first 'vende globe' race, and instead of going back to france on the last leg, he throws a bottle to a freighter w/a note in it saying "fukk the race", and sails on to tahiti.... my freakin' hero....

i think we speak the same language dude.....

interesting report.

i put a fair amount of miles on my 1098 but nothing like you!

if you come to atlantic canada you will likely pass though my town, moncton new brunswick. if you do let me know. if i can help you with anything from showing you local roads, bike maintenance, where the duc dealer is, have a drink, what ever... i will

oh man you've been missing sooo many sweet roads.

Hot damn good stuff! Gonna send a linky to a buddy who just ordered a Panigale and tell him to man the fuck up and ride that bitch's wheels off or else!!!

anti looks like you have good instincts. I was just reading that the secret service had a vehicle stolen in Detroit. Perhaps they had tier eyes on you bike and when you took off they stole the next best thing a secret service vehicle.

I can attest to the accuracy of AntiHero's description of Detroit. I've worked in Detroit for about twenty of the last twenty five years. During this time I've lived in an area known as "Downriver", which is collection of decidedly blue-collar suburbs located between ten and twenty miles south of Detroit.

I've spent more than a few weekends this summer astride my trusty KLR250, exploring the desolate, poverty-blasted ruins of this once great city. The decline of Detroit over just the last five or six years is absolutely staggering. It literally has to be seen to be believed. The population has probably fallen by 250,000 over that same period of time.


A few weeks ago I explored a Detroit neighborhood known as Delray. It's in an isolated part of the city that hugs the Detroit River, about 3-4 miles southwest of downtown Detroit proper. The neighborhood is about two square miles in size, and it's home to only about 2000 residents, most of whom are Hispanic or black. In the 1930's this neighborhood was home to 35,000 people of Eastern European descent, and it teemed with shops that supported the local steel and automobile industries. Today it's an absolute wasteland. Trees grow through the ruins of the abandoned homes and small factories. Entire blocks resemble savanna lands interspersed with crumbling brick ruins. Many residential blocks have only one or two occupied homes on them.


The only people living in this neighborhood are people who don't have the financial means to escape. Unemployment is probably approaching 30-40%. On a beautiful, warm evening I rode slowly up one residential block and down the next, seeing only scattered knots of young men and boys standing in yards or sitting on stoops. One elderly black man leaned on a hoe in his garden, which comprised two or three adjacent lots. This is common in Detroit neighborhoods where abandoned houses have been demolished and the lots cleared. Since nobody owns the land, people often claim it for neighborhood gardens. It's strange to see rows of corn juxtaposed alongside the blackened remains of burned out crack houses.


As I turned up one street a pretty young prostitue smiled wanly at me from the steps of a porch as I passed. There wasn't another soul in sight, and I remember thinking that she was probably in for a slow night. In the 30 minutes I spent exploring the neighborhood, I think I saw a total of two cars that were actually being driven.


Detroit is probably one of the best examples of post-collapse urban decay in America today. Exploring some of her neighborhoods is an almost surreal experience - one that gives a firsthand glimpse into the decline of a civilization.

Thanks! Got 7430 miles now--taking it in for the 12K/7500 mile service tomorrow.

I plan on putting together a full post on what I think of the Panigale after the service, so stay tuned. Cliffs notes version: LOVE the bike. Truly amazing.

So onto Toronto. My host here in the Ossington district is J.P. Manoux. He's an actor who played the cop in Meet the Fockers, and has about 2 IMDB pages of other roles. Great guy, awesome house, sweet neighborhood. Oh yeah--you know the Fruit of the Loom dudes in the old commercials way back? He was the grapes!



Toronto is a really f'in awesome city in a lot of ways. It's clean, safe and under normal circumstances, the people are very friendly. Example number 1: I'd found a near-abandoned parking lot and went to sleep on a picnic table (insomnia lately, so when I get tired I don't pass up on the chance to grab a few Zs). Dude in an STi rolled by to check out the bike, we got to talking, then he asked if he could buy me dinner. Fuck yeah, why not. He wouldn't even let me pay.

And speaking of eating....that's been the highlight of Toronto. In part because, since CA a great majority of my meals have consisted of beef jerky and canned tuna. So I've been indulging....

Elk Burgers at Union (no question--the best 'burgers' I've ever devoured).


Tacos from Grand Electric (Pork Belly, Spicy Chicken and a fish taco, that had been disappointingly fried):


Halibut and Seaweed Salad from Fishbar:


Banh Xeo and Young Coconut Juice at Golden Turtle:


Margherita Pizza at Pizza Libretto:

(What you're looking at is a VPN certified Pizza (sounds romantic, no?), using the guidelines set out by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association and as set out by the Italian Government and the European Union, meaning the pies are made in a traditional manner with old world equipment (San Marzano tomatoes, which come from the foot of Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Fiore di Latte Mozzarella brought in fresh daily (didn't like, had a yogurt like element to it), and dough made from Italian double zero flour (holy shit it was good!). 90 seconds in a 900 degree wood burning oven later....presto. )

The highlight so far, though, was Black Hoof.

Albacore Sashimi:




House-Made Charcuterie (which included salami (one type with beef heart), mortadella, capicolo, and chorizo).




Groing-grabbingly transcendent bone marrow:
(Err, sorry, I ate it all and then took a pic of the empty bones)




Wait! Did get a picture of the last bite. If you've never had bone marrow, you're missing out on one of life's greatest primal pleasures (imagine if butter was made out of ribeye instead of cow's milk). So rich, creamy and disgustingly good:



Sublime. Absolutely Sublime.

I finally read everything up to this point, and I must say that your ride has inspired me in a number of ways. I have been longing for an adventure bike so I can turn the R6 into a track bike. However, due to recent circumstances, I can not afford it. This ride report has encouraged me to plan a trip on the R6 to Chicago and beyond. I hope I can pull it off before the weather gets shitty.

Did you buy the Panigale from Chad at NB? I stop in there frequently to say hi, drool over bikes, and hang out a bit. I used to ride with Chad occasionally, and I know some of those guys from when Spectrum was around.

It's very refreshing to know there are other people who share my feelings about HD riders, food and drink, general philosophy on life, etc... I too had a "near death" type illness that opened my eyes and helped me reduce my ego driven ways. When you make it back, it would be cool to meet you for a ride up at Angeles Crest or do a track day. I think us California peoples should throw you a big welcome home party and feast upon your safe return.

Keep up the excellent writing!

dang that's some tasty food porn

Yes it is and as a frequest Italy traveler can verify that the pizza looks highly authentic, including the bufalo mozzerella.

That's hilarious.
I remember hearing somewhere that F. Murray Abraham was one of the fruit. Regardless, I always thought the grapes guy was the best of the bunch. *ba-dum cch*

Welcome to Toronto!
Still loving this RR!
GP Bikes for your 12k service? Took a lot of my $$ in the last few years but a great bunch of people!

Live the dream my friend,you only go around once.Dam you eat well.

Well you might have eaten simply on your route to Canada, but you sure are making up for it now. LOL
Apparently they eat with utencils up there, not wraps in that lot. HA...........bon epetit......

Keep it rollin'. Keep the wheels rubber side down.

Epic RR.


JCB
1198SP