Hippie woo woo “earthing”?

by The Lols

Batshit crazy? Sure, why not. That is how I am usually introduced. I’m deep into middle age and I’m feeling it. I have to be honest, it seriously pisses me off. After so many made up midlife crises, this one is real and I’m not ready to be an old bag.

It happened with the suddenness of a broken shoe lace. One little injury started a chain reaction. I woke up one day and I was broken. I’m willing to try just about anything at least once if I think it can help. My safe place has always been Olowalu. There is a vortex there and my body easily drops 20 years in age every time I go. The problem for me is that it doesn’t stick and I can only take Hawaii-crazy for so long before I need my wet winters in the islands of the San Juans.

I’ve found a vortex here as well. It’s not was strong as my home in Hawaii but its something. When I heard of earthing I laughed. I’ve never been into that hippie dippy woo woo BS. Er, um… did I just say that? 5 minutes in my Earth Runners and I was hooked. I stopped wearing deodorant, grew out my hair and beard, and bought all natural wool clothing. Now that I’m older and wiser and stinkier, I’ve been transformed. I even have an inside only pair that I’d wear to bed if Kim-Chi hadn’t threatened to dirt nap me in my sleep if I don’t take them off. Without trying or even wanting to, my entire life has been transformed by the simple fact of slipping on my Earth Runners. They just make me somehow feel balanced.

My needs have changed – mostly just gone away. I’ve decided to sell the yacht so I can focus on watercolors. I gave away almost everything that doesn’t add daily value to my life. I’ve gone back to my youth when I could sit on the beach for hours, simply staring at the ocean. Truth is, I never grew out of it, I just ran out of time. I retired in the middle of all of this. Gave up smoking cigarettes and booze. I’m learning the fine art of premium cigars and fresh fruit water. It’s taken my whole life but I’ve finally learned to live off of fairy farts and moon dust.

Simply the best “No Ka ‘Oi”

by The Lols

I pull out my ukulele, the words come easily but I’m still working on my rhythm.

I call you when I need you, my heart’s on fire. You come to me, come to me wild and wild. When you come to me. Give me everything I need.

My ukulele instructor tells me I need to play it 10,000 times to master it. My ukulele is far better than I am for a reason. The day you pull that uke out, it’s in its final form. It may open up but it is what it is. I, however, will get better every single day and grow into my ukulele love.

My ukulele is one of a kind, made by a master luthier, of woods from Hawaii, Alaska, and Africa. I’ve only shown it to one person, it’s my thing. It may seem the opposite of my minimalist ways for such extravagance. Minimalism isn’t about poverty, it’s the exact opposite. We don’t own much but we do prefer the finer things.

We almost bought a property yesterday. Some old, overpriced dirty dirt. In the end, we got afraid of the commitment to one place and slowed our roll. We both laugh at living in one of the most beautiful places on earth while always looking for the next. A good portion of our happiness is gained from new experiences. There is always one more path less pedaled to follow.

The average person will spend an entire lifetime ignoring their waning health while filling their bank accounts. One day they reach the top of the bell curve for both health and finances. The remaining time on earth is occupied with spending all that money to preserve the enevitable failing health. We both have always seen how limited our time here is. We do our best to live our best lives and balance everything down to our simplest needs. We do our best to avoid anything processed, including other humans. Quiet beaches, bare feet, and the sounds of nature is a luxury that can’t be bought or sold. The world has gotten very busy somehow.

At the ripe old age of 55, I’ve entered my final glide path. My last flight plan is to own less and experience even more. We are letting go of almost everything that can be plugged in, turned on, or break down. My last remaining goal in life is to love Kim-Chi more each day, protect her from the world, and make her laugh and smile a bit harder everyday. When she falls asleep in my arms to know she is safe and secure. I have so much more to share about this but my ukulele needs my attention right now.

Give me a lifetime of promises and a world of dreams
Speak a language of love like you know what it means
Mmm, and it can’t be wrong
Take my heart and make it strong, baby

You’re simply the best
Better than all the rest
Better than anyone
Anyone I’ve ever met

Little bikes

by The Lols

I love sailboat cruising because, unlike racing, there is no finish line. I’ve always loved the old saying that second place is really just the first loser. Like cruising, in bike touring everyone wins. Boats and bikes go together well just like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups commercial: Two great tastes that taste great together. Relatively speaking, Bromptons are cheap. They last forever and are unlimited in options for upgrade.

Kim-Chi is is going to kill me but I want another set of Bromptons. A touring set. Selling my 2013 Radar Orange Brompton is still one of my largest regrets in life. Back then my minimalist rule was one bike at a time. It had to go when I was building a Karate Monkey for the Baja Divide. At some point in the near future, I will again be back to one bike. There are no limitations to the standard Brompton. I just kinda went down the rabbit hole of superlite super fast and now have a bike too nice for world travel.

My first Brompton tour was the Hawaiian islands. I was completely unprepared and to date it was one of the best tours of my life, even if I got hit by a truck on day one. I showed up with a one way ticket, 500 bucks, and no safety net. It was the best of times and the worst of times. The love of my life, Chloe the wonder dog, had just gone to heaven and I was heartbroken, I still am. I had also finally escaped my psycho ex that I spent 2 years trying to get rid of. I was free and happy even if my heart hurt from the loss of my constant companion. I quit my job to spend the entire 13 years of her life traveling and exploring every inch of the west coast with her. Without her I was lost. Being lost on a Brompton is a very good thing.

When you have a little boat there is always a small place to tuck it away. My next and last boat will be a 20′ Pacific Seacraft Flicka. It will be kept at my secret dock in Florida. When you have a little bike there is always a small place in the boat to tuck it away. I love pulling into a marina with my tiny house, grabbing my tiny bike and riding away to explore, then grabbing some snacks and finding a good dinner.

Somewhere on the Oregon coast en route to San Fransisco, it didn’t take long to learn how little I need on bike tour. 99% of the time, the less I bring the happier I am. One of the things I love about touring on a real folding bike is how easy it is to to jump a bus, plane, or ferry on a whim. I’m very easily side tracked on tour. Before my eyes went to hell in a hand basket, I was planning a credit card tour from the Canadian border to Mexico. Basically 100 miles a day with a hoodie and a water bottle. I still hope to do this if I recover.

In the meantime, slow and easy is the name of the game. Not much bad can happen at 8mph. While we explore and design the perfect folding touring bike on paper, we keep coming back to our racing Bromptons. Maybe in the end they will win. There is no wrong way to do the Brompton Bop. Just ride out your front door and let the adventure begin.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” 
― Hunter S. Thompson

Brompton Touring. A Better Bike

by The Lols

They say that hindsight is 20/20. To be honest, I regret every single bike sale I have ever made. Still though, life goes on in this one two bike tiny house. I can happily spend hours staring at my Brompton. It’s like art to me. I’m always looking at how to shave a few grams here and there. Stronger is always my priority but lighter is better as well. Lighter, I say, as long as it comes with stronger.

To date I’ve toured the San Juan islands, Gulf islands, Vancouver Island, Hawaiian islands, Eugene, Portland, Seattle, Bellingham, and ridden down the Washington/Oregon Coast all on my faithful little Brompton. I’d be lying if I said that bike touring on a Brompton is a better, safer, fast way. Still though… I’m addicted to it. I get a little better each year, a little lighter, a little smarter. I may not actually notice any of this because I also get a little older. I measure life at how many more Bromptons I can buy before I die. It’s looking like 3-4 at best, not much time left to ride around the world. I buy a new Brompton every 5 years on average. I don’t need to, I just want to. Like me, these little folders are ever evolving.

My first Brompton tour was very impromptu with a backpack strapped to the back of my bike. It worked well enough, I suppose. Well, let’s just say it got the job done. That trip literally changed my life. I could have ridden that little Radar Orange Brompton for the rest of my life. My gear, on the other hand, was a challenge to say the least. There is always a better way and that usually means lighter. When I first arrived in Hawaii I was very envious of all the old men with just a basket on the front of their beach cruisers to carry their lives posessions. It worked for them and it wasn’t long before I had shed down to a day pack. I made larger and larger concentric rings, often sleeping in the dirt with just a sweatshirt when I rode too far and couldn’t make it back to my base camps.

In the Hawaiian islands, I was always on the run from the law. I learned that hike-a-biking with a 28 lb all steel folding bike sucks. My next bike was a cool 23.5 lbs with titanium everywhere. That bike really was damn near perfect. My gear was lighter but still needed work. I have to say though, I didn’t have a single complaint with that bike. It was also the best color ever for Brompton. That little Berry Crush Superlite saw thousands of amazing touring miles. This bike wasn’t heavy but it also wasn’t light. Somehow I think 17-19 lbs is the magic number for a folder but who knows.

At 19 lbs 14oz, my new CHPT3 is on the money. It was perfect in its stock form but that’s never stopped me before. It costs about $1,000.00 a pound to lighten a bike – any bike. Having said that, the heavier you start the easer it is. I started so light there wasn’t much room to grow but there is always a scootch of wiggle room and I’m scootching. It took me about 10 seconds to realize that 4 gears is enough when the load is light. This bike is also mentally light. I was never a fan of the Sturmy Archer internal hub, so much drag. Same with my old heavy Marathon tires. This build is like a bolt of lightning.

Kim-Chi Suggested a Brompton T-line to celebrate my 15th year boycotting of cars. We don’t know where this year will end but we will be touring again someplace warm for 3-6 months this winter. I want to go to Japan but Kim-Chi, who has never been, says Hawaii. I don’t know what my next Brompton will be. It could just as well be all steel again. They are all perfect in their own special way. A bike is freedom. Life is too short to not ride a Brompton.

Send it slowly, Surly Lowside

by The Lols

When I asked my partner if I could build my dream bike she gave me a budget of 10K and her blessings. If only it was that easy. Numbers, shapes, components, metals, or even plastics these days… I did a deep dive and learned something I may have already known. Surly is quite possibly the most underrated bike on earth. Having owned a dozen in the past, they weren’t even on my radar. I wanted something new.

I think most people think of Surlys as heavy. Turns out they are just about the exact weight, sometimes less than the best hand made USA frames. Sure the build isn’t light as a feather, but every frame set comes with a complete free rideable bike. Enter The famous Surly Make it Your Own. With Surly you get a complete bike, often for less than the price of a frame set.

It’s my opinion after 5 decades of cycling that Taiwan builds some of the best bikes in the industry. Surly in general has very consistent and perfectly laid welds. The paint jobs are among some of the best I’ve seen and last forever. I didn’t expect to be building a Surly, but I did specifically want a single speed. I’m still playing with frames and specs, but there is no way I can come close to 10K on this bike. It’s sort of my learner and explorer frame.

A Thompson seat post and Selle Itaila Gravel saddle are standard on all my bikes. Little things make such a massive difference to me. It’s why I’m still riding steel frames after all these years.

My size Med frame came with 175mm cranks, too long for my 80cm inseam. I’ve already bought an upgrade but I may change my mind so for now 175 is ruling the roost. Im dangerously close to a set of Cane Creek Ewings.

It’s been 10 years since my first frame bag. I just can’t seem to live without them. Rogue Panda has done it again. I freaking love everything about this bag even if I had to push a few buttons to make it exactly the way I want it.

Ergon Ga3 grips are by far the most comfortable grips I’ve ever used. I’m old and broken so even little change is huge on this bike. That water bottle holder is made to quick-attach to my Swift Industries Ardea hip pack that also quick-attached to any bike handlebar.

Surly’s Sunrise bar is the best spec geometry of any bar I’ve ridden. Its crumbly steel is brutally painful and it’s the heaviest bar I’ve ever seen. A custom bar is in the works. maybe one from Doom Bars.

Without suspension, big meats do all the heavy lifting. I could save 2 pounds by going to a 2.2″ tubeless set up but for now I’m digging what I have. Maxxis are the only MTB tire I can fully endorse.

Brakes blah, blah blah. I want Paul Klampers but I sure do like the squish of these hydros. Even these low end Tektros are way overkill for how I ride.

Deity Composites are almost light and virtually indestructible. Perfect for this apocalypse build. They are also dirt cheap, not that that has ever been a factor for me.

Yep, this little Surly Lowside is quite possibly the most underrated bike on earth. It has almost zero braze-ons for a very clean look. Slap on a Fox 34 and its geometry will bomb the single track with the best of them. I’m just building a fancy beach cruiser for the end of the world but hey…

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” 
― Ernest Hemingway

Never say Never

by The Lols

37 years, 12 boats and not once have I let anyone take control of my ship. Sometimes you just need to let go and let people help you. Captain Coy Wilson of Seaboard Co Is the first and more than likely last that I will pass the reins to. It couldn’t be avoided this time but it was a wonderful experience. Coy is a rockstar in the delivery world. He showed up on time with a smile, prepared, and left me with one hundred percent confidence that he would take care of my baby. Amica isn’t just a boat, she is a lifetime of working towards finding the perfect simple ship. We bent on her brand new Port Townsend sails main, topped off her diesel tank, piled the boat with snacks and maps to and of everything aboard, and handed him the keys.

Of course she is insured, it’s the law. But there is no insurance claim that can replace the blood, sweat, and often tears that go into the restoration of a classic like Lyle Hess’s Bristol Channel Cutter. Amica is now 33 years old and had always been meticulously maintained. Still, at her age, it’s time for a proper refit of everything and that’s what she is getting. New everything!

At the 2005 Annapolis boat show, they sold 40 Beneteaus but not a single Sam Morse Bristol Channel Cutter. A sign of the times you can say. Most people just don’t like these old girls any more. We are different, we love the work and making and keeping her smart looking. Her size is right, although in some ways too large for our needs. But still, she is a great fit. Everything about her screams quality and handmade, including the bills that come with fabrication. This isn’t your dad’s Flicka. She is a complete pain in the ass which is what we love most about her.

We had a beautiful house lined up close to the boatyard but it fell apart in the last round of negotiations. Either way, Amica is at the spa for the full treatment. Quality and craftmanship is either dead or dying in this world. Amica is our little piece of the pie. Our goal, as always, is to leave her better than we found her so she can sail the 7 seas at least for another 100 years.

I like to work slowly on these things deliberately and with intention. In the meantime, we are also full steam ahead looking for a little cutter in Florida. Winter is right around the corner. Life is good on the waterfront and getting better each day. The point of departure isn’t the beginning, it’s the end of your past journeys.

Limitless

by The Lols

I left off talking about the two boats I’ve never owned, the Nor’sea 27 and the Dana 24. I don’t know if I’ve ever written about my little Flicka or how much I loved her. I’ve spent the last 10 years searching for a second one – a perfect one. A boat I could throw in a barn and forget about til I’m old and grey. A perfect retirement project that is small but nearly endless in scope. When I owned Dangerous, I had always thought she was a bit small. Turns out my life was just too big. I had yet to discover the Brompton. My ukulele fit, but not much more. If I could turn the clock back I could have saved myself half a million in boat expenses. There is a beauty to small, simple boats. An easy life is one well lived.

No, I’m not looking to become a three boat owner, but if the right one crossed wakes with me I’d drop the cash on her in an instant. I know she’s out there somewhere. In the meantime, I’ve got a big boat to love on. It’s time for her to have a proper haul out. I’ve booked 4 months in the yard. We are going to take the entire boat apart and put her back together. It’s the proper way to love on these old boats. This is a very exciting time in our lives as we work towards our dream cabin in the Olympics. Life is too short not to dream, we are pedal to the metal in loving our last days in the islands for this practical journey.

Sookie sits patiently in the slings ready to splash. The amount of pride of ownership I have in my boats is limitless. In my opinion, the mighty Falmouth is by far the greatest of all pocket cruisers. We shared a decade tramping around the islands. Good times always. Things are moving slowly today but we’ve already penciled in the next decade of adventures.

“The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat.”

Nathanael Greene Herreshoff

Between the sheets

by The Lols

If I learned anything during the pandemic it’s who my real friends are. I also learned how uneducated Americans are as a whole. When I unceremoniously arrived in Port Townsend smack dab in the middle of it, I was welcomed with open arms. It was the culmination of a lifetime of dreams about living in this small port town. At the time, I had no intention of ever selling Sookie but I did. I had no intention of buying Amica or any other BCC near to that future, but here we are.

For the most part I’ve kept my secret desires between the sheets. I’ve always loved small boats. The two that I’ve never owned are a Dana 24 and Nor’sea 27. I’ve never been particularly fond of going anywhere in either of these boats. I’ve just wanted to sail them and push them and once and for all prove whether to not they are good sailing boats. Well found small bluewater cruisers are by far the most overlooked boats on earth. I should have bought a smaller boat but it’s hard to go back now. My investment in new sails on Amica is greater than the sum of which my last boat sold for. Big boats are dumb, and also wonderful.

Port Townsend has been calling me back since the day I rode away on my trusty Brompton. Now on the eve of becoming a two, if not three, boat owner, we are plotting our escape back to what I consider to be the boat building epicenter of the world. I had never heard of this place until one fateful day a very long while ago. I had been van dwelling for a year slowly making my way to Alaska. Completely lost, we stumbled across Port Townsend. One of the first boats I saw was John Guzzwell’s Endangered Species. I got so excited I literally jumped out the window of the moving car to run over and see it. Yes, I love boats, all boats. But none quite as much as I loved Sookie.

Somewhere across these islands, down a quiet winding road, across an estuary at the foot of a quiet unknown bay. That’s where Amica lives. It’s where all of our dreams lie. It’s, for us at least, our secret spot. Between you me and the sheets, all boats are blessed. It’s just that some are blessed more than others.

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

Brompton CHPT3 V4 Magic

by The Lols

Of all my scant few possessions, it’s my Brompton that I love the most. It also happens to have the smallest footprint, yet offers the largest adventure possibilities. At 19 lbs give or take, it’s neither heavy nor light for a folding bike.

My Brompfication seat post is by far the single best upgrade you can give a folder.

I spend a lot of time in the saddle. The Selle Italia Gravel has the best fit for me and is kind of light. It’s also super kewl looking.

My plan was to get the Titanium version Brompton but I just couldn’t fall in love with it. Steel is real, baby.

I’ve ridden a lot of Brompton tires and most of them suck. The Schwalbe One, however, is absolutely the bomb!

My next upgrade will be titanium bolts all around from Ti Parts Workshop.

On the largest hills I sometimes wish I had a smaller ring, like maybe a 46 or 48. On the flats, however, I love the 50. If I ever change anything it will be going to a single speed.

Brompton CHPT3 V4 I’m pretty smitten with the bike. I love the glitter paint job, subtle but amazing. Actually I love every single thing about this bike.

I had added a carrier block for light touring but now I’m taking a new path. The front bags by Wotan Craft are amazing, I’ve been using them for years. The Pilot 10 has been my go to.

I still can’t bring myself to upgrade my brakes. Some day I will, but at nearly a grand that someday may be far away.

I’m still looking for a better solution for my water bottle, but this works for now.

I love the Brompton branding. It just makes me happy.

I can’t live without my spur cycle bell.

Last but not least, I have my Swift Industries Ardea hip pack that converts to a bike bag in 3 seconds. The last luggage addition for credit card touring will be a Revelate designs Shrew seat bag. It’s handsewn in America and perfect for my warmies. This is the set up I’m using for my ride from Canada to Mexico.

Dwell

by The Lols

I’ve only ever wanted one thing in life. To have a subject to follow around the world with my camera. For the last 6 years, I’ve been shooting exclusively with my 23mm 2.0. I’ve been putting the inevitable off but we are considering a full mobile film studio. All that really means for me is the addition of a single additional primary lens. A Fujinon 16mm 2.8 – ok and maybe eventually a 35.2.0 for portraits.

As a visually disabled photographer, I almost gave up the ghost. I can barely cross the street without the danger of getting run over. Turns out Kim-Chi is an excellent seeing eye dog and excels at keeping me from being scraped off of the pavement. It all started with a funny cartoon that popped into my life the day I decided to hang up my camera and a 40 year obsession with photography.

I don’t remember the gist of the cartoon, but there was a dog sanding his fingertips to make them sensitive enough to pick a safe. In that moment, a light bulb clicked on in my brain. The day before I had been playing my uke with new high tension strings, it made my fingertips very sensitive. Afterwords during a photoshoot, I could actually feel the lens focus in my fingertip. Ok maybe I always felt it a bit but nothing like on this day.

The next day I played my uke for an hour and then grabbed my camera bag and ran out the front door. Bingo! I was back in business. It’s sort of on a wing and a prayer but I now use my fingertips to talk with my blurry eyes. Where there is a will there is a way. When I know I cant get what I want, I cheat. Below was shot on video and a screen shot. Voila, beauty and talent..

These days it’s just like riding a bike. Riding a bike, on the other hand, is for me at least like riding a really scary rollercoaster. It’s mostly done with my ears. Ok, I’m not that blind. I just see 2 of everything always and the images are backwards, that’s all. It’s why I love sailing. First off I’m rarely doing over 5 knots. I can feel the wind in my sails, I can hear my speed, and I can feel the lift and drag enough to shape the sails like little wings that carry me over the horizon… or at least a few miles to the next anchorage.


“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” -Francis of Assisi