Time for the Pahl's Classics fall Rally in the Woods, and despite the misty weather, the event was a huge success. About 30 people showed up and we had tons of great food, riding and comraderie. As always, the tractor and golf kart rides through the woods were a big hit. We had lots of classic bikes along with several four wheelers.

Karl (on his Yamaha Blaster) gives his wife Sara (on her Yamaha TW200), a bit of a nudge to start the day off. So now who's the boss? I'd say the one out front with the pink pigtails!

This year we added a twist to the trail ride and tried doing a few motorcycle rodeo 'tricks'. As everyone who tried found out, these different tasks were not easy to do.

First off was riding the plank. After a while, the guys got good at this one and started "catching some air." Dave led the way on his 1972 Honda CL100.

 John took a slight detour with the 1980 Honda Trail 70.

Then the weenie bite, or Jim R. could just call it "fishing for bikers". Dave takes the bait...

 ...while John misses on the first fly-by.

Last was the obstacle course. At first the riders thought "piece of cake".

Then they had to do it blindfolded, with the passenger telling them which way to go. Now that was pretty much impossible to do.

Jeff and his girlfriend Marie were out to prove that "love is blind". That is until Jeff almost hit Dave's freshly refurbished Honda CB350. Tyler watches from his mid-70's Honda CT90, and tries to stay clear of the scene.

Then Marie thought it would be safest to just hide behind Jeff and steer HIM by the shoulders.

Dave and Sara took it slow, but Sara had no foot pegs. At least she has long enough legs so she could just step off the bike.

John decided to try it alone with many shouts of encouragement(?) from us on the sideline.

We still have to perfect these events, but it sure was entertaining, nonetheless. Our bonfire continued into the evening, with Jimmy tending the fire the whole time....it burned for over 12 hours.

Brian and Jimmy pose and become Pahl's Classics version of American Gothic...

We do know how to have fun, don't we?

Statistics

After signing into my blog this morning, I found that I have reached the monumental point of having over 20,000 hits on this website! That's pretty commendable since this is my 323rd  post since its inception in December 2009.

I am amazed and overwhelmed by the number of people that tell me that they read "Into A New Horizon" and check for updates daily. Thank you all so much and I will try to keep it it interesting, upbeat, and fun. If I miss a few days...or weeks, it's probably because we've been dealing with every day mundane things and challenges (yes, it does happen to us too!).

There have been a few comments (told to me) that I need to ease up on posting my kayaking adventures. Yes, I know they start to all look the same, but I enjoy sharing these spectacular settings with everyone. There are probably people that aren't interested in our antique collecting, home projects, boating, car, motorcycle or events too, but just wait a day or two, and with our diversified lives, you know we'll be doing something else that will pique your interest! 

Now, you can even leave comments on this website also. I finally discovered that there are settings that can be adjusted, so it will be easy and simple to leave comments after each post. Just remember that anything you write can be seen around the world. According to my stats, my 'audience' encompasses many countries including Canada, England, the Bahamas, Russia, Ukraine, Guatemala, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Poland, and Norway...and that was only today's list. It changes daily.

When we write about different subjects (Dave helps me with the technical names and items), we try to make it as accurate as possible, since we never know what people will be searching for when this blog shows up as a result in the search engine. However, my statistics page does tell me that targeted information....for example, 39 Plymouth, or Bahamas Lighthouse. You may have noticed that I rarely put people's last names in any of my posts, and that is the reason. Any word or name written can be picked up in a search. My stats even tell what search engine is being used, what kind of browser was used, and any other fact imaginable. Interesting, but it shows that 'Big Brother is watching you." Or in my case "Big Sister!"

Thanks again for following our antics and adventures and I hope you keep on coming back. In another month we'll be headed south and change over to our other lifestyle. We truly are blessed, and as I have said many times before, we never take a moment of our multifaceted lives for granted.

Rising Up

The guys have been busy with the new shed project. After Dave and Karl laid out the site, Bob, Dave and I cut and hauled locust trees for posts (these trees are super hard and have great longevity). Then John helped Dave drill holes and put up the posts.

The top of the poles were cut for proper length with Bob's help once again. Then the girders/rafters were set in place. The New Holland tractor has been instrumental in this whole project.

That meant it was time for Dave and I to go and purchase 66, 2x8x10 stringers that the metal roof will be attached to. They all had to be carefully notched with a chainsaw to fit between the rafters.

John and Dave put the perimeter pieces up and then Greg came over to help slide the inside boards into place. 

Voila! Done and ready for the metal roof that has been ordered.

A few hours later the new 'skeleton' building became a roost for this hawk. I have a feeling that he thinks we made it just for him!

Old Trucks Rule

Time to take a break from building the new shed, which is progressing nicely. One of our 'rites of passage' for the fall is the antique truck show in Ballston Spa. We were amazed at the number of people that attended and it was probably their biggest show ever. There were so many vehicles there, and they were so close together, that  I didn't take very many photos. I'll just include a few of my favorites from this year's event.

This petroleum home delivery truck was my show favorite.

 We were in awe (and jealous!) of all the containers that they displayed.

 The Last Ride, a great looking hearse. "What a way to go!"

 Look at this spectacular 1947 Flxible Clipper motorhome. The owners were from Massachusetts and had come for the hot air balloon festival in Glens Falls. Unfortunately it was so windy that the balloons couldn't go up, so they decided to come to the truck show. We certainly do appreciate that they did, because it was a big hit.

 A nice example of a toy tow truck with a tractor on the hook.We liked the patina and how they left it in original condition.

 This gorgeous tow truck looks like it could handle anything.

Friend Kenny with Dave showing off  Dave's Honda 305 Dream that he turned into police bike.

 What a great imagination the owner of this Mack truck has.

We almost bought this replica Sinclair gas station. The details, especially inside the building, were amazing. We are partial to Sinclair memorabilia because Dave's father used to have quite a few of those huge round Sinclair signs that you see on the TV shows. Many years ago, they ended up just getting in the way, so were pushed with the bulldozer and destroyed. If only we had the foresight to know how much they would be worth, we would have kept them stashed away. Now Dave has a gas pump that will look similar to these, when he is done refinishing it.

 What is this thing? Good question, but someone has been doing a lot of thinking to come up with this. We called it the Cyclops on Steroids.

 Speaking of the Cyclops (Dave's ingenious invention), it drew a big crowd once again, especially with the older folks, who were really intrigued. I'm sure they were thinking that in all their years, they had never seen anything like this!

 These gentlemen got the hang of running it, and it's hard to see, but the man on the right has a huge smile. This made it well worthwhile to bring it to the show.

To see even more trucks and equipment from the 2010 show, click HERE for the previous post.

Wet 'N' Wild

What a picture perfect day for the Schroon Lake Wet Meet, featuring antique outboards and hydroplanes.

Classic boats were getting tuned on the beach.

A molded plywood rig from the late 1950's.

Gotta love the 'wings'!

Lots of vendors in attendance. Here is a great collection of racing props.

This is a KG-7 Super 10 Hurricane.

Classic motors and memorabilia lined the sidewalks.

This is a rare Homelite XL-100 gas powered circular saw. It even had the hip roofed carrying case.

There are still an amazing amount of diversified outboards around.

This racing runabout has a 45 h.p. Graymarine flathead four inboard for power.

Cockpit view of the same boat. Note cast gas pedal.

Vintage race boats in the pristine waters of Schroon Lake.

Here is beautifully polished double cockpit aluminum Feathercraft. The power is a 25 h.p. Evinrude Fastwin from about 1948. Note the rope start, and there is no gearbox....start it up and go, hopefully.

Everyone enjoyed the non-competitive fly-bys.

More plywood hydroplanes from the 1950's era.

 When they yelled "fire in the hole," we knew this one was going to be loud!

A modern tunnel boat in the foreground with a conventional 1950's hydroplane in the background.

A stunning restoration of a midwest built hydroplane. Note pad on the beach to prevent damage to the hull.

This one is powered with a Chevy small block motor and I would say 'MORE' than enuff.

A 1962 Japanese Tohatsu, the oldest one known to be imported into America.

 You have to make sure you are pointed in the right direction with some of the boats, because once they start, they take off...giving them the name "point and shoot" boats.

Complete 1950's rig for sale, along with a few extras. Our fresh water and long winters really help to preserve these old relics.

There was something for everyone at this show, and it really got us interested in joining the Mohawk Hudson Chapter of the Antique Outboard Motor Club, which sponsored this event. The club is actually based right here in Scotia. Dave has several antique outboards that we could display also, giving us something else to look forward to next year.