The road to Albuquerque was a pretty long and uneventful one. I won’t say boring, because for me there are no boring minutes spent on the bike, but it was uneventful. Lots of desert. Lots of time to think. We pulled into Albuquerque about 9 hours after we started and the first thing I noticed is that Albuquerque (I’m getting really good at spelling that) has fantastic freeways and all of the overpasses and on/off ramps are kept clean and are decorated with a southwestern flair. It’s a great first impression for a city to give. Even the concrete dividers in the center of the highway are color matched to the overall design. Very nice.

The city itself is pretty cool too. We ventured into Old Town first and found the town square which was occupied by a large grassy area with benches and huge trees. Lots of people were just kicking back and enjoying the shade. We struck up a conversation with a married couple sitting there who were on motorcycles and found that the husband was originally from Hayward. He pointed us to a Mexican restaurant and we enjoyed a dynamite meal and a few Dos Equis. But here’s where we started seeing some of the weird attitudes this country has about alcohol. We wanted to retire to the outside deck in order to have our customary end-of-day cigar and beer but since we had already paid for dinner, they would not start a new tab for us with only alcohol on the bill. Apparently since they were next to a church they could only sell alcohol if it was part of a meal. Weird! So we took off to the college district and found a really nice cigar store with a full bar and had our cigar and beer.

That evening was the 4th of July and so we were wondering where we could see some fireworks. Well, we found that there was no need to go see a “show”. New Mexico sells fireworks year round and they sell REAL fireworks. We’re talking missiles that fly up 100 feet and explode just like the kind you see at baseball games. So everyone in the entire city seemed to be lighting off these suckers and the sky in every direction was lit up. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.  I like Albuquerque!

The next day we had a short ride day to Amarillo, Texas. Only 288 miles. We would arrive in Amarillo early in the day and so we had a lot of time to sightsee. We checked out the famous Cadillac Ranch as well as the Giant Pair of Legs and also the Helium Time Columns Monument. Apparently Amarillo is a large producer of helium, so they made a monument to it back in the 60′s. The monument also doubles as a time capsule and different parts of it will be opened at various times in the future.

We ended up staying at a place called the Big Texan Steakhouse which plays up the whole “Everything’s bigger in Texas” line to the max. They have a pool shaped like Texas. They have a GIANT cowboy boot out front. The shower curtains in the rooms are printed with the Texas flag. They have a shooting arcade inside the restaurant. And they offer the food challenge to end all food challenges; A 72oz steak that they give you 60 minutes to eat and if you complete it, it’s free. Unfortunately we didn’t see anyone take on the challenge. I thought about it, but then my colon overruled my brain and I settled on an 8oz fillet with a baked potato on the side. Not too bad.

The odd thing about Texas though is that it’s a place where there’s a giant Baptist church on every corner, and on the opposite corner is either a strip club or an adult superstore. And when I say superstore, I mean superstore. They have porn shops the size of Targets in Texas. I guess everything is indeed bigger.

The storms are bigger too. As we were kicking back by the bikes having our customary beer and cigar we saw a massive lightning storm rolling in from a distance. It was amazing, with lightning strikes flashing constantly as the storm rolled closer. I’d never seen anything that active here in California. At that point we realized we were going to get wet the next day. Very wet.

We crashed out that night knowing we had a long ride the next day to offset our short one this day. We’d be heading across Oklahoma and into Arkansas.

Thanks to my good friend and brother in Christ, Robert Clark for taking on this adventure with me. It’s been one heck of a ride!

Epic Ride 2010 Ride Map

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Last time Robert and I rode we were gone 5 days and our daily distance covered was not that demanding. This time we’re riding for 13 days and are going to average 450 miles a day. On top of that, it’s going to be HOT as we cross the desert southwest, and hot & humid as we enter the south. And then there’s the fact that I’m spending 16 days, 24 hours a day, with another dude. That alone is enough to make any trip miserable.

This is really all part of the adventure though. My riding partner is a good dude so if he can put up with me, I know we’ll be just fine. The only real things that are worrying me at this point are my health and the health of the bike.

It’s important to eat right while on the road. The wind rushing past you on a bike in 100 degree weather will dry you out in a heartbeat so drinking lots of water is a must. But also it’s important to eat right. Last trip I had chicken fried steak every single day for breakfast. Oh, it was SO GOOD. But I gained 10 pounds and felt like falling asleep every day by lunch. This time my plan is to stick with healthy foods as much as possible. I do plan on enjoying some of the local cuisine. There’s no way in hell I’m going to sit in a Texas steak house and order a tofu burger with sprouts and avocados. But, I’m not also going to do chicken fried steak every day.

I’m also going to try and cut back on the beer. Robert and I have a sort of tradition of having a beer and cigar at the end of each riding day, but I’ll have to limit the brew a bit this trip. It might not be easy. To me, beer is one of the greatest things ever given to us by God. But overdoing it can dehydrate you and cause restless sleep not to mention make you fat as heck. And I do NOT want to be sleepy and facing 400 miles of riding. I kinda don’t want to be fat either.

The health of the bike; well, that I’m just going to have to put in God’s hands. I’ve done all I can do to get the girl ready and now I just have to trust that she’ll take me where I want to go with no troubles. We’re really catching a break with the weather. Looks like the entire way across the desert should see temps below 100°. That’s a huge relief since we’re both riding air cooled bikes.

So that’s about it. I’m going to have trouble sleeping as the ride gets closer. These are exciting times!

I was born in So-Cal and lived there for my grade school years. That was back in the mid 70′s. What I remember most of all from that time, oddly enough, was the architecture. The buildings were all so “modern” for the times with odd shapes and weird spires and vaults. I remember thinking that we were right on the edge of living in “the future” and any day my dad would buy a hover car and we’d start wearing silver jumpsuits. As you can tell I had a big imagination, fueled by frequent trips to Disneyland no doubt, which was nearly right in our back yard.

Fast forward 35 or so years and well, we’re still not living in “the future” yet. I still don’t have my hover car or my silver jumpsuit. And the futuristic architecture of the 70′s are now dilapidated buildings mostly housing chinese take out joints. But every time I see one of these old buildings it takes me back to those hot So-Cal days and the family dining together at Sambo’s.

Here’s a website that actually has interior and exterior photos of all the old Sambo’s. Enjoy!

http://www.sambosphotos.com

Who will we meet? Where will they be from? What stories will they share with us? What will we see along the way? What trials will we face along the way? How will we overcome them? What stories will we come home with?

And in some ways, it goes even deeper. My parents, who we will be visiting, are getting old. Will this be the last time I see one of them? I certainly hope not, but I can’t deny that the thought weighs heavy on my shoulders.

At church today we heard Kimberly talk about how people connect with God. Some connect with our Creator via study, some via worship, some via servanthood. For me, motorcycling is one of those ways. I know at probably sounds lame, but when I’m out there on the road, all alone, engine roaring beneath me, wind rushing past, the vibrant sights fillIng my eyes, the rich smells of nature flooding my nostrils, It’s then that I feel alive. It’s then that it’s just God and me, sharing a private experience, out there in the road.

For me this trip is about everything that is good in life. Family, friends, God, and His magnificent creation.

Knowing this, I’ve been forced to do some soul searching lately. When you buy into the whole Christianity thing it’s supposed to change your life, your world view, your core beliefs. I would say that it’s certainly changed my life in many ways, but the one way that I’m most aware that there’s not been significant change is in the area of compassion for others. And I don’t think I’m alone. But why is this? Are we a bunch of self absorbed, apathetic jerks? No, I think it’s simpler than that. I think we’re plain scared.

Scared? Scared of what? Heck, I get up at church a few times a month and play drums in front of several thousand people. I don’t even get a twitch of nervousness. It’s as easy as breathing to me. Yet when my wife asked me to come out and play frisbee and make crafts with a bunch of poor kids in southeast Fresno I’m suddenly shaking in my boots and looking for excuses not to go. I have chores to do. I’m tired from working all week, etc, etc. But that’s all crap. When I look down inside, I see that I’m simply scared. And the reasons I’m scared reveal some very ugly, ugly attitudes. So I’ll just throw them out there, let’s not screw around here alright?

I don’t like hanging out with poor people. They are dirty. They are uneducated. They are crass. They are lazy. Their neighborhoods are dangerous. They’ve made their situation. They are not worthy of my time.

Wow. That’s some ugly crap right there. If this weren’t a family friend blog, I’d be using a stream of expletives to explain how vile and nasty that admission tastes to me right now. But I write it because I don’t think I’m alone here.

They say the faults we find in others are driven by the the things we hate about ourselves. I think the greatest fear I have in reaching out to to others is that I’ll have to face the fact that when all the pretty things I’ve surrounded myself are off the table, and I’m on their turf, and it’s just one on one, It’s going to become apparent that I’m not as awesome as I think I am. I’m afraid they won’t like me. It’s me who’s not worthy. That’s scary.

I write all of this because I was humbled this weekend once again. The last time I was humbled like this was when I went to Africa. I came back with a new outlook on life but I quickly let that outlook deteriorate into old routines again. I let the fear back in. But as I mentioned earlier, my wife asked me to come play with some kids and so I figured what the heck, I’ll give it a shot. And I was humbled again.

What I experienced were a bunch of kids from all kinds of cultural backgrounds and with all kinds of family structures. Most of these kids were under 10 years old, walking up unsupervised, often with kindergarten age siblings in tow. Many speak broken english or none at all. They show up with smiling faces, wanting to play. And so this is where I realized that I had all these feelings and fears pent up and these little smiling kids were quickly washing those fears away. It was a freeing experience.

They don’t care if you have any great skills. They don’t care about your house or your job or your status. They don’t care about your color, or your age. They aren’t interesting in judging you or holding you to some standard. All they want is some face time. They want an adult that’s willing to play. Somebody who’s willing to throw a frisbee or have a sack race, or slide down a piece of plastic soaked with water. They just want somebody to show up and put in some time.

And so to bring it all the way around, I think that’s what we need to do. We need to just show up. Tuck our preconceived notions away, quit trying to put on some false front, and just show up. Just show the heck up.

In the next few days I’m going to post some video and stuff of this past weekend. I’m also going to see if I can get a list of volunteering opportunities from the church. There’s a lot that needs to be done out there and not enough people to do it. Hopefully more of us will be encouraged to help out. It will be life changing, I guarantee it.

For me this is going to be a REAL vacation. Not some vacation where you go to some crowded park or building and get pushed through the sights like cattle going to slaughter. This is freedom. Every day we have a start and a finish point (and a few days we don’t even have a finish point!) and all we have to do is be at that finish point in time to get enough sleep for the next day. What happens between start and finish is completely up to us and chance. It’s unplanned. It’s unknown.

One thing that really bugs me though is the people who tell me I’m crazy. I’ve also been hearing people’s negative comments about the girl who got stranded after trying to sail around the world. A few people even had the balls to say that people who look for adventure are just selfish and instead of spending money buying boats and sailing around the world, we should give that money to the poor and be content with knowing that our adventure comes in the next life. Yeah. Well let me tell you something; That’s just Christian-ese for “I’m a big fat wussy”. If that’s your state of mind, then the next time you get the urge to go to Yosemite, or San Francisco, or Disneyland, just keep your butt home. Because somebody explored, built up and provided access those areas at great expense, and I don’t want you to feel guilty.

Anyway, so we’re all set. The travel map is below. We’ve had to alter the route just a bit to accommodate family visits. It would be a shame to ride all that way and not spend quality time with relatives after all. But the ride is still going to be awesome, and truth be told, we’re probably going to need the extra rest. If anyone has any suggestions of things to see along the way, drop me a comment below.

And now the next chapter starts. I know that sounds dramatic, but it really is. She’s not a kid anymore. In a few short months she’ll be 18 and an adult. And this is hard for a parent because it means there has to be a shift in the relationship. We’re going to shift from a parent/child relationship to more of a experienced adult / less experienced adult one. I’ve never been the type to shove a bunch of arbitrary rules down my kid’s throat, but there’s always been a clear hierarchy, and rules of conduct in my house. As she begins to take more and more responsibility for herself as an adult, this will obviously change in certain ways.

So the next 12 months or so are going to be interesting for everyone in our house. I’m looking forward to it though. Watching your kid grow up and learn and achieve is an awesome experience. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does with her life.

Here’s a few pics from her graduation.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=179097&id=575577426&l=963926cb73

This week we got notice that 150 people will be laid off where I work. That doesn’t sound too bad when you consider we have 6000 employees. However, 50 of those are coming directly from corporate jobs which means about 8-10% of us are going to lose our jobs. Suddenly the picture looks a lot worse. We should find out who next week.

So I’ve been kicking this around while I wait to hear who goes and who stays and it’s become clear to me that California is just an awful place to work. Our government is so oppressive and so busy passing stupid laws that it’s no wonder businesses don’t want to operate here. The latest bit of brilliance from our leadership will outlaw grocery bags, so you’ll have to carry a dozen fabric bags with you to the grocery store or pay a tax for paper bags at the checkout. Yes a bag tax. That should do wonders for the economy.

So it occurred to me that if I were to lose my job, I would have nowhere to go. There are no jobs here. Period. Unemployment in the central valley is nearly 20%. My wife has been looking for work for TWO YEARS. With absolutely no luck. So I’m praying that I keep my job for a while longer. But I can’t help thinking that at some point (though hopefully not next week) we’ll probably end up leaving the state.

Where would I go? I’m thinking Austin Texas looks pretty darn good. Great music scene, lots of high tech, no state income tax, and they don’t charge you a bag tax.