July 19: Microsoft Interviews and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

First off, the www.on10.net interview is up (just went live today) and you can check it out here!  It was really fun to meet Tina and talk through the project and my trip.  Hope you all like it.

I’m in Edmonton right now…Wasn’t really planning on stopping in Edmonton, but on my way from Grand Prairie yesterday I stopped and took a quick gander at my rear tire and saw some metal wires starting to poke through.  Not the safest for long trips (or any trips for that matter), so I decided to make a quick stop here to get that taken care of as well as a routine service before I push on towards Yellowstone.  So, that tire lasted me all of 17 days and 6300 miles…ouch.  I imagine Alaska’s gravel roads can’t have helped all that much.

I’m sitting in the dealership right now using their computer so I can’t do anything too fancy, and honestly, there hasn’t been all that much to write about in the last few days (that’s why I’m using a picture from the previous day).  Alberta is a fine enough place, but after seeing what I’ve seen further north it’s hard to get excited about the hay bails and long, straight highways.  There’s an actual nighttime here, though, and that’s a plus.  Also, the mosquitoes have left me alone and that’s another huge bonus.  I can’t begin to describe how many mosquitoes I have smashed on the front of my bike.  Lovely.  There are gigantic hordes of them in Alaska, especially further north, and they swarm to the heat of the bike as soon as you stop.  Two interesting/funny things from yesterday: I saw a reindeer farm.  After being so happy to see a couple on my drive, stopping and taking pictures, and acting like a total tourist, I then see a whole field of them right on the highway…nice.  Second, Alberta posts these funny signs that show an outline of someone holding binoculars and the statement “Watchable Wildlife” printed above.  I don’t know why but that made me chuckle.  I wonder which ones are more watchable…the caribou or the reindeer?  Maybe they have competitions.  Anyways…

I should be in the States tonight and then visiting friends and family in Yellowstone and then Utah.  This is Brian, signing off from the land of “eh’s” and “aboots”.  Beautiful country…nice folks.  Come to Canada if you never have before.  More later.

[UPDATE: Microsoft killed on10.net but they moved the content to Channel 9…the above “check it out here” link has been updated.]