The 700 XX

    For most of my life I was around motorcycles and ATV's of many types. My brother and I played on the old Indian 4-cylinder monster that my dad rode as a young man, then retired it to a shed on the farm, where it sat for years. As young teenagers, we had motorcycles of our own to ride, and I did light mechanic and assembly work in the Honda shop that our family owned for a few years. There are a few motorcycle stories, and several motorcycle pictures in my book. Over the years since I was first married, and back when I was still in the Air Force, I usually had a motorcycle of some kind, and even several ATV's of some type. After all these years, a few still stand out as my favorites, and hold a special place in my memories.

   A few years ago, after we got our first home in Southern Utah, I was taking my classic Honda 200 X three wheeler out to the best riding reserve in the area, Sand Mountain. I was also looking over new ATV's at local cycle shops, where I first spotted a Honda TRX 700 XX.  After I sold my 200 X to a collector, I finally found a 700 XX for sale in Northern Utah and bought it , my dream ATV. As it happens in life, many things were going on at the time, and I had sold my Ranger pickup. We were getting ready to make our permanent residence in Southern Utah. I drove the 700 around the neighborhood, off and on for several months, but another pickup was not in our future at the time, so the 700 XX was sold.  I still miss it very much. 

Ready for Summer

 With the weather warming up, I start thinking about all the spring chores I still need to get finished. The main one that has my attention this week is some cleaning and detailing of my cars. I like them to look their best all the time, but at least once a year, I like to do a little extra. 

We live in an area that gets very hot in the middle of the summer season, so the timing of those car detailing jobs is important. Right now is just about perfect, warm enough to get some work done, but not too hot yet. Guess this would be a good time to get started.

Enthusiasts who would like to know more of my automotive history should check out my book, just follow this link; Grab Some Gears

SKYNET

 Many years ago, when we first noticed our new cars were getting smart enough to answer our phone calls, display maps, start from a distance, and many other remarkable feats, I made the remark to my wife: "It's just like in the Terminator movie, when computers take over the world, SKYNET has arrived".  That's when we got the SKYNET license plate for our car, and it's been on several cars in the years since. That was at least 15 years ago, and the things technology can do now are truly almost unimaginable. 

We have been looking at some new vehicles, with the idea of trading in the next few months, and that plate will go on our next one too. With every new year, the technology just keeps moving us farther into the future. For an old car guy, I can hardly believe how far things have come in just the last 20 years. My dad and grandfathers, who have been gone for many years now, would not believe it if I tried to explain what cars can do now. 

                   The SKYNET plate on our current 2018 Chrysler 300 S.