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 MorePlan...But Flex
Three Sierra trips make up my plans for each year: May, mid-summer, and mid-fall. But the2018 spring trip gave way to hosting our granddaughter’s rehearsal dinner and getting ready for family. Summer got eliminated by a 6,700 mile motorcycle ride, including an Iron Butt ride of 1,080 miles in 16 hours. As fall drew close, I desperately needed a mountain fix, so I planned a six-day trip, leaving Sunday morning and getting home Friday evening, for five fishing days. That avoids the crowded weekends and eliminates some traffic. But around the time I left, our son-in-law’s brother Bob passed. One of the good guys, we’d shared a lot of time at family gatherings. His service was set for Friday, so I still took…
Read MoreChaotic Devotions
I love Jesus. I appreciate personally knowing the transcendent Creator of the universe (one of my books, A Passionate Pursuit of God, focuses on this). I realize the need to nurture this relationship regularly. Not once a week, not even once a day, but moment by moment. And I’ve tried just about every method suggested by those who know. Daily devotion books. Christian living books. Study guides. Accountability partners. Practicing the presence. And they have all worked. Until…they didn’t. The flaw…
Read MoreI Need a Baked Potato
Context is everything. Well, almost. But it does give the backstory and brings in other elements of a situation that may change how we perceive it. So, the context for our recent trip to Idaho to visit our grandkids, Josh and Kate: my wife Sheila LOVES baked potatoes, and could have one every night. On our drive through countless miles of California and Nevada desert to the potato mecca, she voiced her desire for an IDAHO baked potato. Idaho did bring us to our grandkids, but…
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The 750 from the first Iron Butt Ride.
70 Isn’t 28
Every so often, “Unconventional” features a fresh post from a 2018 ride at the age of 70--an Iron Butt that covered 1,080 miles in just over 16 hours, from Temecula to Dillon MT, all on the fairly straight, sometimes barren and sometimes scenic I-15. My Honda ST1300 was without music and the interstate quite uncrowded, providing time to think and pray and ponder. Leaving at 4 AM and traveling 450 miles, the bike entered Cedar City UT at 10:30. Good time, but already some tiredness arrived. So a longer pit stop provided an early lunch and rest. During the last two hours of the ride, I wanted nothing more than…
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Old Cats and New Tricks
We hear it a lot, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” A more serious form, “People just don’t change.” A bit sceptical. But perhaps, if an independent, self-willed, and amoral stray cat can change, then dogs have hope. Maybe even people.We already had…
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image from quotefancy.com
Challenge Yourself
Paul the apostle implied we need to challenge our limits, “…become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants…Instead…we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:13-15). Growth is normal when following Jesus, but we can’t grow when we’re content with mediocrity, when we cling to our current state. So we push our limits. Move beyond…
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Try the Unexpected
We purchased this Hoover vacuum over 25 years back, when just about all our floors had carpeting. So it got a lot of use, with only a few minor repairs. One of those occurred last week, when the rubber drive belt connecting the shaft to the roller shredded itself. Wearing an N95 COVID mask, I picked up a new belt at a local store, and utterly failed to get the new one on. Before, I’d slide out the roller, put the belt on it, then use a screwdriver to pull the belt onto the shaft. Well, either the rubber is more stiff than before, or my hand strength isn’t quite what it was. Assume…
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