In my early years, I relied on youth and vigor and a strong body. At 26 came a 31 state, 13,000-mile ride on a naked semi-chopped Honda CB750. The longest day stretched between Beaumont and El Paso, all in Texas, well over 800 miles. Stops only for gas and meals. No windshield, no cruise control, no Cramp Buster, a duffle bag serving as a minimal backrest, no highway pegs. And I loved it! Then. But I’ve picked up some new tricks along the way. Some by necessity…
Read MoreA Changing Rider
About a month ago, Unconventional examined Our Changing World, using roads as a metaphor on deeper societal issues. But not only do roads change, but riders do. For most of our Gray Hog rides, we had a long first day just to reach the main part of our ride. 650 miles became typical, sometimes more. At age 70 I began one of our long trips to Canada with an Iron Butt ride, 1080 miles in 16 hours…before heading into Canada. And for the three of us in SoCal, to beat the morning traffic, we’d have to wake up early to get on the road by 4 AM. And we loved it! The challenge, the break from the routine of work brought joy. A fine accomplishment.
Then in 2022...
Read MoreChanging Times
I pulled out of Lone Pine at 7 AM, hoping to get the 240 miles home to Temecula before the traffic congealed into an unholy mess. Not long after, a road sign announced a welcomed passing lane ahead, that alleviated concerns about some slow trucks clogging the lane.
But the promised passing lane soon proved to be closed for construction, yet with none in sight. So I looked around and spotted heavy construction off to the right, just north of Olancha. Turns out Cal Trans has decided to change the route to bypass the entire Olancha area. I guess that will help the traffic flow, which is nice, but will likely kill...
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Image from Motorcycle Philosophy
Adapt, Don't Quit
Somewhere on the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park lies an otherwise nondescript turnout, much like above. No monument marks it, tourists don’t drive by to gawk at a historical site, and honestly, few would care to see it even after this story. But asphalt can teach a lesson. I’ve known Jerry since high school daze; he’s one of my best friends and we regularly take long rides on the bikes each year. But his very short legs have led to…
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Make God Laugh
Typically, each year brings three trips to the eastern Sierras—a May weekend, an October weekend, and four or five days in the summer. 2018 broke the mold. Plans for our granddaughter’s June wedding, which included prepping the house and yard to host the rehearsal dinner, consumed the spring. Summer featured a 6,000 mile motorcycle trip with friends, including an Iron Butt run the first day…1,000 miles on two wheels in 24 hours. The rest of the summer was given to recovering, along with a bunch of yard and house tasks. That left room for…
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Kootenay Ferry, across Kootenay Lake
Learn the Customs
Our 2017 destination: Banff, Canada. The weather: rain. All over. We rode east through Washington, skirting the Canadian border. Mick’s bucket list included Banff, but the weather there was colder and wetter than where we were. Until we hit Sandpoint, and the rain and cold grew. We sheltered in place at a Sandpoint motel, trying to wait it out. When…
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Spiritual Planning
Plans sometimes get changed. Radically. My Sierra plans were to fish until late Friday, then to head home and miss the Friday traffic. The snow in the pic above forced a revision. Waking to 2" of snow in my campground made outdoor cooking problematic, so I threw all my wet gear in the back of the truck and headed home. Early. Not much later I walked into a Mickey D's in Lone Pine for coffee, only to meet a middle aged guy in shorts and a hoodie, "Are you a local?" ...
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