Wheres Punky & Lew now?
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Date: 8/17/2001
Subject: Punky & Lew in Vancouver B.C.
Hi Mark, Phil & List: Punky is doing very well and we took advantage of good weather and rode out of Fairbanks on the Alaska Highway to near Watson Lake and south on the Cassiar Highway and down to Vancouver as quick as we could. After sitting in Fairbanks for an extra few weeks, I was gratified to be on the road again. We covered more miles/day than usual and arrived in Vancouver, BC, at Rich Kickbush's place, 2 days early. If anyone is contemplating a ride to the North Country, by all means do it. Only drawback is you may possibly go into sensory overload from the seemingly endless beautiful natural wilderness. British Columbia has roadside signs with the slogan "Super Natural" aptly describing BC, which has mountains, lakes, rivers and trees everywhere. The Cassiar was a great ride that kept my attention focused on the sometimes tricky road and my eyes peeled for wild animals, which could suddenly pop out of the heavy woods very near the road. We came within about 6 feet of hitting a black bear, one of three I saw on the road. Hitting wildlife on the road is a particular hazard to speeding motorists, of which I am one. We stopped on the Yellowhead Highway #16 at Morristown to watch the Indians netting Salmon from a gorge and, while distracted by inquisitive tourists, a homeless backpacker from Montreal lifted my tent off the bike only 25 feet away. I didn't discover it missing until we were down the road over 100 miles and saw only loose bungee cords hanging from where the tent had been. It didn't take me long to figure out what happened and that the backpacker was no longer homeless and Punky and I had become so. I had spoken to the guy and wished him good luck. Little did I know, when I said it, that our being there provided the opportunity to better his situation and was his good luck. Bought a new tent in Prince George. Loss = $250 for the tent, heavy duty stakes, ground cover and waterproof stuff sack. The new replacement waterproof bag has a D-ring to lock it with a cable. Rich kindly volunteered to install the new Dunlop D 604 radial tubeless rear 140/80/17, which he arranged to be here, when we arrived. Phil, you remember what a difficult task it was to change from the Metzeler Tourances to the Conti TKC 80's. Rich is having the same problems you had removing the old rear tire and mounting the new one, as well as getting the bead to seal when airing up the newly mounted tire. He used anti-freeze unsuccessfully and is now resorting to silicone lube spray, only after trying his damndest to get the job done alone with the tools and methods he hoped to use on his upcoming RTW tour. He also learned that the compact lightweight tire levers from Aerostich won't do the job of changing a radial tubeless rear tire. Not enough leverage. Rich is a strong, young and very determined Aussie. The tubeless radial will lose eventually, but it will have to be tomorrow. Phil, your hard work in preparing Critter is still paying off with a trouble-free scooter. Critter did hiccup and heat up at high elevation in extreme heat (105 degrees) in central BC (who'da thunk it?). Back to normal at lower elevation and temp. Hope all is well with you in Live Oak. I've developed my own riding style and, much to my surprise, it isn't the safest, but sure is fun. Ain't ridin' a hoot? Mark, I'm going to check out the pix next. Thanks again to you for the great job with the website. Thanks to all who support us, whether by donation, cheers, offers of assistance or just plain encouragement. Later.
Punky & Lew
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