ljmattox's recent photos

Very low miles, under 700 as this photo was taken.

2009-02-03T05:46:21Z

ljmattox
Very low miles, under 700 as this photo was taken.

ljmattox's photo

2009-01-22T05:51:00Z

Left side; I added a Powerlet/BMW-style electrical connector just ahead of the passenger footrest bracket (for battery charging, or to power heated gear).

2009-01-22T05:51:00Z

ljmattox
Left side; I added a Powerlet/BMW-style electrical connector just ahead of the passenger footrest bracket (for battery charging, or to power heated gear).

This bike is almost as delivered; just added this stainless steel fender eliminator kit to clean up the back end styling. Still have the original if desired.

2009-01-22T05:50:58Z

ljmattox
This bike is almost as delivered; just added this stainless steel fender eliminator kit to clean up the back end styling. Still have the original if desired.

Bought this Ninja250 new in Fall, 2007, but it just didn't get ridden much. Finished break-in, had a 600-mile service...and that's it. We've seen 60-70 mpg, and it has sufficient power to ...

2009-01-22T06:01:14Z

ljmattox
Bought this Ninja250 new in Fall, 2007, but it just didn't get ridden much. Finished break-in, had a 600-mile service...and that's it. We've seen 60-70 mpg, and it has sufficient power to ...

Scratch-free, ding-free tank (and everything else, body-wise)

2009-01-22T05:43:55Z

ljmattox
Scratch-free, ding-free tank (and everything else, body-wise)

Yes, this is my bone. Go ahead and reach for it...

2008-12-17T01:55:52Z

ljmattox
Yes, this is *my* bone. Go ahead and reach for it...

Getting Luther ready for Cinco de Mayo..."oh, the inhumanities I've suffered"...

2008-12-17T01:55:52Z

ljmattox
Getting Luther ready for Cinco de Mayo..."oh, the inhumanities I've suffered"...

All serene and studly...fix that ear!

2008-12-17T01:55:52Z

ljmattox
All serene and studly...fix that ear!

The rally banquet was really nice, lots of good food and great stories by the 30-hour participants. Jim/David did not have the time to score the 12-hour folks in time for the banquet; it wa ...

2008-10-15T04:56:01Z

ljmattox
The rally banquet was really nice, lots of good food and great stories by the 30-hour participants. Jim/David did not have the time to score the 12-hour folks in time for the banquet; it wa ...

We actually planned and took this photo of the Popeye statue first; we thought Jim and David would get a laugh out of photographing Stacy's backside as well as Popeye's. But a bit more read ...

2008-10-15T04:36:42Z

ljmattox
We actually planned and took this photo of the Popeye statue first; we thought Jim and David would get a laugh out of photographing Stacy's backside as well as Popeye's. But a bit more read ...

Stacy and I had a blast participating in the 2008 edition of the Not Superman Rally, based out of the Drury Inn in Cape Girardeau, MO. Jim Puckett and David Derrick put on a terrific event, ...

2008-10-15T04:14:26Z

ljmattox
Stacy and I had a blast participating in the 2008 edition of the Not Superman Rally, based out of the Drury Inn in Cape Girardeau, MO. Jim Puckett and David Derrick put on a terrific event, ...

So we nabbed the lunch bonus at Tower Rock Winery too; at 3:45 pm or so, but there wasn't a time limit. They provided a nice cheese/fruit/cracker basket and a couple of sodas, very reasonab ...

2008-10-15T04:47:37Z

ljmattox
So we nabbed the lunch bonus at Tower Rock Winery too; at 3:45 pm or so, but there wasn't a time limit. They provided a nice cheese/fruit/cracker basket and a couple of sodas, very reasonab ...

Tower Rock Winery was next, and a combination bonus of sorts. So many points to get pictures of the owners; an extra bonus to get the dog in the picture; and more still for having lunch the ...

2008-10-15T04:44:55Z

ljmattox
Tower Rock Winery was next, and a combination bonus of sorts. So many points to get pictures of the owners; an extra bonus to get the dog in the picture; and more still for having lunch the ...

Perry County MO is home to "ancient" Lutherans in America, a bunch landed here from Germany in the 1830's and created towns of Altenberg, Wittenberg, Frohna, Brazeau. In Altenberg is the fi ...

2008-10-15T04:42:18Z

ljmattox
Perry County MO is home to "ancient" Lutherans in America, a bunch landed here from Germany in the 1830's and created towns of Altenberg, Wittenberg, Frohna, Brazeau. In Altenberg is the fi ...

We had a next bonus of a jeweled shrine in Belgique, MO, but a doofus GPS coordinates entry error led us to blow by where it may have been, and directly to the Brazeau MO post office, the ne ...

2008-10-15T04:40:29Z

ljmattox
We had a next bonus of a jeweled shrine in Belgique, MO, but a doofus GPS coordinates entry error led us to blow by where it may have been, and directly to the Brazeau MO post office, the ne ...

Chester, IL just across the river from Perryville, MO was the home of the cartoonist Segar, the creator of Popeye. A statue of Popeye is in a little park just outside, and the bonus called ...

2008-10-15T04:34:47Z

ljmattox
Chester, IL just across the river from Perryville, MO was the home of the cartoonist Segar, the creator of Popeye. A statue of Popeye is in a little park just outside, and the bonus called ...

So that part about re-routing time, and getting all that time to plan ahead? Here's where it broke down. We'd bagged the Arch bonus, but were now on the "wrong" side of the river for the I ...

2008-10-15T05:10:10Z

ljmattox
So that part about re-routing time, and getting all that time to plan ahead? Here's where it broke down. We'd bagged the Arch bonus, but were now on the "wrong" side of the river for the I ...

Our next bonus was fairly high points, and was to be a photo of your bike with the Gateway Arch. Our plan had called for pulling into the parking lot of the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, ...

2008-10-15T04:24:21Z

ljmattox
Our next bonus was fairly high points, and was to be a photo of your bike with the Gateway Arch. Our plan had called for pulling into the parking lot of the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, ...

A second long leg took us from that first bonus in Fulton, MO to the Kampsville ferry in Illinois, our first time to have the Mighty K on a ferry of any kind. Free, run by IDOT, it was pret ...

2008-10-15T04:18:24Z

ljmattox
A second long leg took us from that first bonus in Fulton, MO to the Kampsville ferry in Illinois, our first time to have the Mighty K on a ferry of any kind. Free, run by IDOT, it was pret ...

A second bonus we bagged here was the "furthest distance from Rally HQ", and called for a screen shot of the GPS to show where we were. Simple, right? I probably spent 5 minutes cussin' an ...

2008-10-15T04:05:06Z

ljmattox
A second bonus we bagged here was the "furthest distance from Rally HQ", and called for a screen shot of the GPS to show where we were. Simple, right? I probably spent 5 minutes cussin' an ...

This statue of Churchill was our first bonus stop, and also the furthest point away from Cape Girardeau. We "made pretty good time" getting here, a long interstate stretch including a gas s ...

2008-10-15T04:05:06Z

ljmattox
This statue of Churchill was our first bonus stop, and also the furthest point away from Cape Girardeau. We "made pretty good time" getting here, a long interstate stretch including a gas s ...

Our last bonus of the day was this shot of the Tower Rock, near Wittenberg MO. Stacy had voiced some angst about the 1-mile gravel road that led to the outlook, but it was a cinch: pea grav ...

2008-10-15T05:02:29Z

ljmattox
Our last bonus of the day was this shot of the Tower Rock, near Wittenberg MO. Stacy had voiced some angst about the 1-mile gravel road that led to the outlook, but it was a cinch: pea grav ...

ljmattox's photo

2008-09-10T06:03:25Z

ljmattox's recent photos

Very low miles, under 700 as this photo was taken.

ljmattox's photo

Left side; I added a Powerlet/BMW-style electrical connector just ahead of the passenger footrest bracket (for battery charging, or to power heated gear).

This bike is almost as delivered; just added this stainless steel fender eliminator kit to clean up the back end styling. Still have the original if desired.

Bought this Ninja250 new in Fall, 2007, but it just didn't get ridden much. Finished break-in, had a 600-mile service...and that's it. We've seen 60-70 mpg, and it has sufficient power to ...

Scratch-free, ding-free tank (and everything else, body-wise)

Yes, this is *my* bone. Go ahead and reach for it...

Getting Luther ready for Cinco de Mayo..."oh, the inhumanities I've suffered"...

All serene and studly...fix that ear!

The rally banquet was really nice, lots of good food and great stories by the 30-hour participants. Jim/David did not have the time to score the 12-hour folks in time for the banquet; it wa ...

We actually planned and took this photo of the Popeye statue first; we thought Jim and David would get a laugh out of photographing Stacy's backside as well as Popeye's. But a bit more read ...

Stacy and I had a blast participating in the 2008 edition of the Not Superman Rally, based out of the Drury Inn in Cape Girardeau, MO. Jim Puckett and David Derrick put on a terrific event, ...

So we nabbed the lunch bonus at Tower Rock Winery too; at 3:45 pm or so, but there wasn't a time limit. They provided a nice cheese/fruit/cracker basket and a couple of sodas, very reasonab ...

Tower Rock Winery was next, and a combination bonus of sorts. So many points to get pictures of the owners; an extra bonus to get the dog in the picture; and more still for having lunch the ...

Perry County MO is home to "ancient" Lutherans in America, a bunch landed here from Germany in the 1830's and created towns of Altenberg, Wittenberg, Frohna, Brazeau. In Altenberg is the fi ...

We had a next bonus of a jeweled shrine in Belgique, MO, but a doofus GPS coordinates entry error led us to blow by where it may have been, and directly to the Brazeau MO post office, the ne ...

Chester, IL just across the river from Perryville, MO was the home of the cartoonist Segar, the creator of Popeye. A statue of Popeye is in a little park just outside, and the bonus called ...

So that part about re-routing time, and getting all that time to plan ahead? Here's where it broke down. We'd bagged the Arch bonus, but were now on the "wrong" side of the river for the I ...

Our next bonus was fairly high points, and was to be a photo of your bike with the Gateway Arch. Our plan had called for pulling into the parking lot of the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, ...

A second long leg took us from that first bonus in Fulton, MO to the Kampsville ferry in Illinois, our first time to have the Mighty K on a ferry of any kind. Free, run by IDOT, it was pret ...

A second bonus we bagged here was the "furthest distance from Rally HQ", and called for a screen shot of the GPS to show where we were. Simple, right? I probably spent 5 minutes cussin' an ...

This statue of Churchill was our first bonus stop, and also the furthest point away from Cape Girardeau. We "made pretty good time" getting here, a long interstate stretch including a gas s ...

Our last bonus of the day was this shot of the Tower Rock, near Wittenberg MO. Stacy had voiced some angst about the 1-mile gravel road that led to the outlook, but it was a cinch: pea grav ...

ljmattox's photo

ljmattox's photo

Then, descending to the beach, you can get this shot of the lighthouse from the waterline. I always wondered why this lighthouse was such a "shorty"; it could be, since the cliff already bo ...

We partnered with another couple to get a photo of both of us in the lighthouse shot.

ljmattox's photo

Standard postcard shot of the lighthouse; you need to descend this stairway to the beach to get them. This shot is from a landing 2/3'rds of the way down.

We opted for the "long" tour, so we got a guided tour inside the first of these dwellings that were put up to house the lightkeepers and their families. Three shifts / three buildings / thr ...

The foghorn building used to house a pair of engines that provided compressed air for the foghorns. All self-contained, all ran on the same oil. They blasted them for us, now powered elect ...

ljmattox's photo

Stacy near the stove installed to heat the tourists, who began showing up for a look-around once the road was instructed in the 20's. So before that: no heat at all in the lighthouse...and ...

This clockwork mechanism rotates the light beacon...is wound, just like a clock, with a suspended weight providing the power to rotate the beacon.

"Made in Paris" label, lots of engineering to get that lens right. Shipped here, hauled up that cliff, and assembled by the French team on site.

This passageway allowed the oil lamp to be serviced, and the lens to be cleaned. Each day (!).

That fresnel-lens light was made in Paris, weighs over a ton, and floats on a bearing-bed of liquid mercury. The oil-vapor lamp inside could be seen for 30 miles.

We checked out of the Cliff Dweller on Labor Day Monday, and started making our way back home. But we wanted to visit Split Rock Lighthouse before we left the North Shore. Built in 1907-19 ...

Our last night on the North Shore finished with sitting on our balcony, enjoying a cigar, and gazing at the 1000's of stars visible there. But before that, we'd spent some time removing t ...

Lowell enjoying some 40'ish-degree water at the Lake Superior shoreline.

Gooseberry Falls also provides a convenient place to wade in Lake Superior a bit. Average yearly water temperature: 40 degrees. A bit brisk for an extended time in the water, but it did fe ...

After lunch, time for more hiking. This time, at Gooseberry Falls SP. By this time (2pm-ish), most of the North Shore had awakened on a Labor Day weekend Sunday, and we had some great peop ...

ljmattox's photo

The park is so accessible, and you're able to walk everywhere you feel like. I was amazed, in these litigious times, that there weren't lots of barriers, fences, handrails, etc. It'd be ve ...

ljmattox's photo

ljmattox's photo

And they indeed have very good, homemade pies. The crust is very distinctive, not "short" so much as usually made in the midwest. I did finally get to try a pastie, but I don't think it wa ...

Leaving Cascade River, we rode south / west towards Two Harbors, destination: lunch at Betty's Pies! I'd heard enough internet mentions of the place, and it had to be a stop for us. *Very* ...

Took me a minute on reviewing these photos about this "circle" in the middle of a shot. Oh. It's almost straight above a large rock formation that's impeding the river, which flows around ...

ljmattox's photo

More "cascades", there were plenty. Those logs spanning the river? Oh yeah...Stacy asked, "Wanna walk across them?" No thanks!

ljmattox's photo

ljmattox's photo

Alerted by it's hammering sound, Stacy got this shot of a woodpecker prospecting for breakfast.

Needed a filter for our lens, but Stacy's pointing to Lake Superior, just the other side of the bridge, that's being supplied by the Cascade River at this point.

And we spotted this "weird" tree on the hike back...huge pumpkin-sized bulges in the bark. I'm sure that the indians had it named or marked.

ljmattox's photo

Lowell counting his lucky stars that he didn't fall into the river on the perilous walk to this rock seat.

ljmattox's photo

My Minnesota girl finally back in her natural element. She claimed her allergies stopped right at the border (and, they seemed to).

Lowell pausing for breath while trying to hike off some of the damage done in the prior couple of days on the road.

ljmattox's photo

After breakfast at the Cliff Dweller, we went a few miles north to check off another "must see", Cascade River SP. The river does indeed "Cascade", Stacy took me on a thorough hike of the p ...

...and we did get to see it rise, but behind this stand of birches at this time of year, not over the water.

Our room at the Cliff Dweller had a great balcony overlooking Lake Superior. We'd set the alarm for sunrise so we could watch.

Shot of Grand Marais harbor from the pier at the Angry Trout

Another beer-soaked loonie enjoying a fine dinner at the Angry Trout.

We're all smiles in these next couple photos...that's partly because we'd made our Cliff Dweller Inn hotel, near Lutsen, after following a parade-formation of Harleys for 30 miles (grrr...) ...

We left Duluth Saturday morning after a Friday night ride along Skyline Parkway in search of the elusive Enger Tower and made our way to Ely, MN for the International Wolf Center. "Ely" up n ...

ljmattox's photo

They had these cool wolf statues outside the center...

ljmattox's photo

ljmattox's photo

ljmattox's photo

ljmattox's photo

...and inside, diaoramas and storyboards explaining all about wolves in culture, and in North America. Most of which was incredibly sad, as attempts to eradicate wolves as pests were the mo ...

Stacy at the causeway to the harbor lighthouse. She's all smiling since she had me walking all afternoon, we'd found (and consumed) MN-peculiar mini-doughnuts, and had just seen a wild mink ...

Harbor shoreline looking back from Canal Park to our hotel, "Fitger's" smokestack on the right.

Closeup of the Aerial Bridge, lowered to allow road traffic across the harbor canal. Great engineering, it's been there a *long* while!

Yes, this is my bone. Go ahead and reach for it...

Leaving Cascade River, we rode south / west towards Two Harbors, destination: lunch at Betty's Pies! I'd heard enough internet mentions of the place, and it had to be a stop for us. Very ...

Closeup of the Aerial Bridge, lowered to allow road traffic across the harbor canal. Great engineering, it's been there a long while!