Words of Wisdom From David Hough - Part 5
We continue with more words of wisdom from David Hough:
Q: Tell us about the time you broke down in the middle of nowhere.
A: I've had several mechanical breakdowns. The one I remember was when my wife and I were on our Moto Guzzi sidecar rig, heading over a 3,500 foot pass and the left exhaust valve burned. I limped up the pass until I found a telephone booth. (this was before cell phones, you understand?) I called the parts man at my dealer, who promised to get some valves and a head gasket shipped to the next town. We limped on at half power, found a motel, and the next day retrieved the parts. I found a junk yard next to a machine shop, disassembled the head, and had them fit the new valves. We were back underway about two hours later.
Q: Tell us little bit about your writing process.
A: Most of what I write is based on experience, either observing something, or watching some other rider. I think a lot about some subject while riding, and then try to remember it for later. I prefer to ride more in the summertime, which means I do most of my writing in the winter. To support my writing, I try to take photos during my summer trips. One of my specialties is surface hazards, so I'm happy to come upon a nasty edge trap, pothole, railroad crossing, or confusing sign.
If I need some statistics, I can spend a few hours researching on the Internet.
I write on a PC, in Word. If an article just isn't jelling, I may print it out and cut and paste with scissors and tape, until it starts to look more organized. Over the years I've gradually gained the skill of editing entirely on the computer, moving big blocks of text around.
When I have the text roughed in, I pull up two screens, one for Word, and the other for Photoshop. I look for suitable photos or illustrations that depict what I've discussed in the text, and then add the file number references and captions in the text. I'll go through the article this way, text and graphics side by side, until I'm satisfied with the results. When I need additional illustrations, I'll make a list, close Word, and do the necessary illustrations in Photoshop, then open Word again and fit them in.
When I think the article is ready, I'll save everything to a folder, then burn it on a CD to mail to the magazine or site. Sometimes I'll generate a series of articles and burn them all at the same time.
Q: How did you get into trike and trike training.
A: Trike training was an add-on to sidecar training. I had been into sidecars for many years, but hadn't had a trike. I wrote a book, Driving A Sidecar Outfit, and sidecar pilots demanded a training course. I wrote the course for the Sidecar Safety Program, developed an instructor guide, trained some instructors and chief instructors, and tried to run a national program out of my office, part time. Fortunately, the Evergreen Safety Council rescued me by taking over administration of the program. And because there aren't enough sidecarists around, they included trikes and called it the Sidecar/Trike Education Program.
Then, in 2009, I decided to buy a Can Am Spyder, a trike with the two-in-front configuration. So, now I have a trike, a sidecar rig, and a two-wheeler in the garage.
Q: Tell us about the time you broke down in the middle of nowhere.
A: I've had several mechanical breakdowns. The one I remember was when my wife and I were on our Moto Guzzi sidecar rig, heading over a 3,500 foot pass and the left exhaust valve burned. I limped up the pass until I found a telephone booth. (this was before cell phones, you understand?) I called the parts man at my dealer, who promised to get some valves and a head gasket shipped to the next town. We limped on at half power, found a motel, and the next day retrieved the parts. I found a junk yard next to a machine shop, disassembled the head, and had them fit the new valves. We were back underway about two hours later.
Q: Tell us little bit about your writing process.
A: Most of what I write is based on experience, either observing something, or watching some other rider. I think a lot about some subject while riding, and then try to remember it for later. I prefer to ride more in the summertime, which means I do most of my writing in the winter. To support my writing, I try to take photos during my summer trips. One of my specialties is surface hazards, so I'm happy to come upon a nasty edge trap, pothole, railroad crossing, or confusing sign.
If I need some statistics, I can spend a few hours researching on the Internet.
I write on a PC, in Word. If an article just isn't jelling, I may print it out and cut and paste with scissors and tape, until it starts to look more organized. Over the years I've gradually gained the skill of editing entirely on the computer, moving big blocks of text around.
When I have the text roughed in, I pull up two screens, one for Word, and the other for Photoshop. I look for suitable photos or illustrations that depict what I've discussed in the text, and then add the file number references and captions in the text. I'll go through the article this way, text and graphics side by side, until I'm satisfied with the results. When I need additional illustrations, I'll make a list, close Word, and do the necessary illustrations in Photoshop, then open Word again and fit them in.
When I think the article is ready, I'll save everything to a folder, then burn it on a CD to mail to the magazine or site. Sometimes I'll generate a series of articles and burn them all at the same time.
Q: How did you get into trike and trike training.
A: Trike training was an add-on to sidecar training. I had been into sidecars for many years, but hadn't had a trike. I wrote a book, Driving A Sidecar Outfit, and sidecar pilots demanded a training course. I wrote the course for the Sidecar Safety Program, developed an instructor guide, trained some instructors and chief instructors, and tried to run a national program out of my office, part time. Fortunately, the Evergreen Safety Council rescued me by taking over administration of the program. And because there aren't enough sidecarists around, they included trikes and called it the Sidecar/Trike Education Program.
Then, in 2009, I decided to buy a Can Am Spyder, a trike with the two-in-front configuration. So, now I have a trike, a sidecar rig, and a two-wheeler in the garage.
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