The best present EVER!

 

A late birthday present?  No.  Joan got a package from Amazon yesterday, and when she opened the box and put it aside...

 "OMG - this is the best present ever!  I love this box!  It's what I always wanted!  Thank you so much!"

Instead of tossing the box, Joan made it even more comfortable for the furry boy, putting in a quilted pad she made for him.  This morning... he walked around the box, not wanting anything to do with it.  He may have loads of personality, but he still has cat qualities.  ;-)

I had a package to pick up, also: a LidPicker kit.  "What's a LidPicker kit?" you ask.  Thanks for asking.  I have been considering another helmet.  Looking at reviews and specs, I've narrowed it down to 3.  While you wear a helmet for the protection that you hope you will never need, the fit and comfort is important.  Not to mention the visibility and how quiet it is.  Noise while riding can be tiring.  We both have helmets we like, but I do wear ear plugs if I know I am going to be doing a lot of highway riding.  The three I'm looking at have the best ratings for quiet.  Fit, however is a very personal thing.  My current Nolan helmet fits the shape of my head.  Their modular (flip front) model gets good ratings on everything but noise.

I have not been able to find any motorcycle dealer around here who handles premium helmets.  They can order them (well, one dealer said they won't order a helmet if you haven't already tried on one of that same model), but you have no idea how it will fit the shape of your head.  Nothing beats being able to try on a helmet to know if it will fit.

Enter LidPicker.  It is a kit that has a set of wooden calipers, a cloth tape measure, and what I'm calling "a head sock" (like a cloth condom for the top of your head).  When you order the kit, you follow their instructions for measuring your head: circumference, width, and length.  You send them that info and they have an extensive list of helmets that they tell you should or probably won't fit.  Along with the admonition that "trying on a helmet is still the best way to determine if it will fit you."  As an added incentive, they were throwing in a free pair of sunglasses... inexpensive to be sure, but they seem designed to fit well under a helmet.  I went for it...

It's a look.  ;-)  I entered my measurements on their form and received my "personal" recommendations for what helmets they thing will fit.  This is also part of the cost of the kit - you have to have a password to get the PDF form for you.

I got lucky a few years ago when I was looking for the Nolan: Nolan had a display set up in the Harley dealer during the Rally - I was able to try on the helmet before putting down my money.  I have never ordered a helmet online; that may change.  Thanks to YouTube, there are thousands of helmet reviews online, for any model you might be considering.  That still doesn't take the place of trying one on in person.  Many of the online retailers will ship you the helmet and allow you to return it if it doesn't fit.  I'll look around during the Rally to see if any helmet dealers are here... realistically, helmets are not a big seller during the Rally.

So, if nothing else, I can still wear the head sock.

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So Damn Hot...

The weasels were calling for 104º today.  They only missed it by 2º... yep, 106º.  We planned to keep things light today.  Out for lunch at a Chinese place in Rapid City.  We talked about getting some groceries, but decided to do that another day and check out some helmets again... in person... 'cause I now have a head condom.

Of course, none of the RC dealers had the models I was looking for.  One dealer did have two carbon fiber helmets... a small and an extra-small... in a brand I'm not familiar with.  I did try on a few that could be a fall-back if no one at the Rally has what I'm looking for (and I'm not putting much stock in that).

When we came back to Hart Ranch, we drove by the site where we are supposed to move to tomorrow - it was vacant.  I checked with the Front Desk, and the nice lady there said we could move onto that site now if we wanted... or first thing in the morning when it might be cooler.  By this point, it was down to 104º - it was a unanimous vote for "Let's get out of the gravel!"

We agreed that we'd "take it nice and easy."  We kid ourselves like that a lot.  As usual, a move here is done in stages: today it was motorhome first, then the scoots, and all our patio stuff in the cargo trailer behind the Honda.  The coach makes its own afternoon shade on the patio (and, yes, it is a lovely double wide concrete site); that meant all the utilities, which are on the other side of the coach, are in the blazing sun.  We were able to trim that one-hour job down to an hour and 45 minutes.  Moving slow and drinking a lot of water.  And every joint feeling the aches of dehydration.  On the bright side, we are moved!  We can sleep in tomorrow if we want (likely won't).  We're back out on the perimeter, where Rufus will be able to walk as far as he wants in the grass.  One catch: the fenced-in dog run is behind our coach... Rufus loves to sniff around that fenced area, but he will be able to see every dog come and go... he may make some new friends.  This site is around the corner and 3 sites away from where we were during our first 21 days - we like the neighborhood.

Now, at 7:00pm, it is down to 96º... the a/c in the coach is blasting on high.  With the trip from the other site to this one being about a half mile, we ran the generator so we could have the house air and the dash air both on hi.  It helped.  Some.

One more hot one tomorrow - they're calling for 100º as a high temperature.  Nothing we have to get done; glad to have this move out of the way.

The new digs...

I'll get a better photo tomorrow, if Ruf and I get out for a morning walk before it gets too hot.