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How did I get into quads? Wow.. I so go against the grain on this one. About 10 years or so ago, ( I was in my mid 50s'), I met my girlfriend. Her family had a cabin in Northern Ontario, about an hour and a half North East of North Bay. There was, on said property, a 1996 Honda Foreman. It had been in the Family since day 1, and , not that it was abused, but more just neglected. If it broke, someone would fix it, or it would go to the Dealership, ( but it virtually never broke down). It just got ridden, and ridden... Drain fuel out.. spray fogging oil in it for the Winter?? ... Ahhh heck no.. Oil changes? Once again...nope.. Virtually nothing was done to it as long as it would start, and go down the road. 12,000 K.M. of that kind of care. About four or five years ago, it somehow became MY responsibility to keep it proper. The girlfriend's Mother signed it over to us.. Oh but wait!! Girlfriend didn't really care for riding 2 up with me, so, it was time for a new Honda Rubicon.. Suddenly, the Honda started to get referred to as " Chuck's ATV>" WTF?? How did I become responsible for this hot mess?? I asked the girlfriend's brother, when the last time the valves were set was.. He looks me dead in the eye and says " They're hydraulic.. they self adjust".. I knew not to discuss maintenance with him beyond that point. New battery, oil, filter, air filter, ball joints, tie rod ends, winch cable, hitch, spark plug, new muffler, and set the valves before putting on 4 new tires. Once again.. a "free" thing just ain't free. No way. So.. it starts, it runs, it is ( for what it is), a really reliable beast. Now... here comes the hard question.. Do I like ATVs, or riding them.. Short story is that I can't 'effin stand them!! And it's not just my ( sorta) Honda, that I can't stand.. I ridden several other brands and styles.. I completely dislike them all. Our Community had an AYV run last weekend.. You coudn't have paid me to go..To me, it's like 4 hours in a washing machine. Would I ever get on one and just go for a ride?. Heck no.. not unless you are holding a shotgun to my head. I would, however, get on one and ride through knee deep crud, to go somewhere fishing. Sorry.. but to me, it is, at best, a tool! It pulls down trees, it pushes snow, it goes places and carries stuff that would otherwise be impossible. But, other than that, it can sit in my garage, and wait till I need it. I feel the same about the 4 Ski doos that we own.. They are there to take me ice fishing.. The chances of getting on one, just to go for a boot, is zero. Now, if we've got company, oh yeah!! Bundle up and get on!! But that's just as a treat for them.. And it's not like I don't like speed.. My retirement gift to myself was a 1985 Honda Interceptor 1,000 CC.. I sold it when I retired to the land of dirt roads..

This election is a history maker in most aspects. First potential woman and first woman of color Leading candidate did not win any primaries and was a fill-in 90 days out Sitting president bowing out after a poor debate and declining health, pushed out by his party Prior president running again, went through the primaries and won Prior president/candidate being targetted by the justice system (most people would have bowed out with a deal not to run rather than face these legal battles) Prior president and candidate almost assasinated. Who's going to make the movie??? I think we can all see what we got with Biden/Kamala and Trump/Pence during their administrations. For me, put covid aside and thinking before that, the country was better off with Trump policies. That's just the reality. I don't care about his antics so much as I do about my family's wallet, my 401K, business climate (if you work for a small or large business) immigration spiraling out of control (it's a bit much if you are in a suburb of a major city), and wars abroad. Kamala can't fix that and it will probably get worse.

Yep. I thought at first it was Mexico (first digit could have been a '3' or 'J'). Turns out the check digit only works if it is a 'J' or a '1' and I knew it couldn't be a '1'.