flip's blog: Finally headed back to Texas!

After putting off my return trip for a week I finally set out for Texas on Friday the 18th. I was originally going to ride all the way to Front Royal, VA after work but didn't leave as early as planned and hit some very heavy traffic going through New Jersey. My wonderful alternative to heading the VA was to stop in Philadelphia and see Kea+Tom! Fairly uneventful day, city/highway riding. Ah, I finally named my bike: Härkä (Finnish for Taurus)

I did order some crash bars for my bike as I plan on going through some nice trails and gravel roads down in Tennessee and North Carolina and would prefer not to crack my engine case if/when I fall in the dirt. When I ordered the bars I received an email from someone at Touratech confirming my shipping address- the sender's name (Kimmo) was distinctly Finnish so I decided to call him to confirm. Upon hearing his accent, we chatted and found out he grew up just east of where my mother is from; due to the 'Finnish connection' he tossed in a free team t-shirt along with free shipping on the order. Hyvää Suomi!