Back in 2022, Jerry and I audaciously attempted an 8,500 mile East Coast ride, to finish all 48 states on a bike for him, and my last 3 for 50. It fell apart in Connecticut, but we decided to try again in May 2023. That blew up on the first day, but Jerry suggested day rides from his place in Oregon, which included a longer multi-day trip: backroads to Estacada and catch 224 that paralleled the Clackamas River, then take 46 to Detroit, then we’d figure it out…
Read MoreSpiritual Plans
Plans sometimes get changed. Radically. My October Sierra plans were to fish Rock Creek 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 loosely into 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 who asked…
Read MoreSuck It Up
Life can suck us dry. Home life. Work life. Economic life. Family life. Yeah, the list can go on. We get exhausted and have little to give. We need a break, some rest, like the lion above. A time to refill spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally. And on occasion we can’t find, or create, a break. So, sometimes we need to suck it up. Not always, but sometimes. Here's why…
Read MorePlan for Plan B
Over the last five years or so, Brad proved himself as “the Wizard of Waze” on our Gray Hogs trips—he’d enter our ultimate destination, calculate in any traffic issues, add in some stops along the way, and we’d blissfully follow his lead, never worrying nor looking at our maps, just riding. We got spoiled, until…
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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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Mick on the left, in the redwoods
Seasons
Five years back, Mick thought the right time had arrived to stop riding his bike. He looked back on many miles and a lot of trips with no problems, and a slew of great stories and memories. So he decided to quit while he was still ahead. To show his commitment, he gave his Honda Goldwing to his son-in-law. His riding days ended. But his wife…
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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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Awaiting the Seasons
Ever look back on the “good old days?” Were yours as good as you remember, or has time improved them? Or were your good old days something you impatiently awaited, and they came so slowly? Sometimes the best seasons of our lives still lie before us, but how can we tell?
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