Taking a Break From Life in Yosemite

30 10 2008

Things have been crazy lately. Michelle is out of work so I’ve been working two jobs and still trying to juggle the daily things in life… workouts, bible study, music, etc. And while I enjoy all of these things, its the schedule that’s killing me. When every hour of your life is scheduled, and there’s always one more thing to get done before the day is over, that’s when life becomes a drag. So yesterday I decided I needed a break. My boss is really cool about mental health days and so he gave me a short notice pass for the day. Michelle and I climbed aboard the motorcycle and steered toward Yosemite.

Every time I go to Yosemite I’m amazed that I don’t make the trip more often. It’s right in our back yard, less than a two hour drive to the valley floor and it’s absolutely amazing. We went to Glacier Point, which I had never been to, and I was just amazed at the view. The sheer scale of the place is too large to even comprehend. The air is crystal clear, the trees are all turning colors now, and it’s just freaking awesome, especially on the bike where you can feel the temperature changes and smell the various scents of the forest. There’s just no better way to see Yosemite in my opinion.

So we had an outstanding time together and it was a much needed break from the daily grind. I’ve posted some pictures in the photo section to the right. Enjoy!





Bikefest 2008 Links

11 10 2008

I’m finally getting around to going through my goodie bag from Bikefest and so I figured I’d post links to a few of the cool vendors I visited. So here we go, in no particular order….





Bikefest Video

8 10 2008

Just thought I’d post a short video of some of the entertainment at the BikeFest this year. Enjoy!





Las Vegas Bikefest 2008: Recap

6 10 2008

Well, I’m home from Bikefest 2008! This year did not disappoint. It was probably the largest Bikefest ever and was a total blast. 1000 miles of riding, tens of thousands of bikes, dozens of bands, great cigars and micro-brews, and a few bucks tossed into the slots just for good measure, made for a great weekend.

We left early Thursday morning under perfect riding conditions and arrived in Vegas at around 2pm. We parked the bikes and headed to Hennesy’s pub for a cold one before heading to the Cashman center where the vendor village is. There were just boatloads of vendors there this year selling everything you could think of, and a bunch of stuff you didn’t know existed, for bikes and bikers.

Friday and Saturday were spent just doing what you do at a biker rally. Basically when you’re not riding your bike, you’re looking at bikes, shopping for bike stuff, or talking about bikes. There is other stuff going on of course. There’s bands playing on every corner, but being a biker rally, it seems they haven’t learned any new songs since 1977. A man can only take so much CCR. We did come across one band on the street in front of the Beauty Bar that was really cool though. They were a three piece Latin percussion group, but they were working in all kinds of non Latin rhythms, at one point even busting out some old school hip hop stuff. Very cool.

One thing I always like at these rallies as well is the Dome of Death which is basically a giant metal ball. Three guys on bikes get in it and ride around on the inside walls in all directions and somehow they manage to not smash into each other. It’s really amazing.

So Sunday we slept in a little and then rode the long ride home. Between almost getting smashed in the head by a fairly large bird, getting smacked right in the eye by a large flying insect of some sort, and getting the inside of my right arm sunburnt to a crisp because I missed it when I applied my sunscreen, we made it home.

All in all it was a great weekend, and I’ll definitely being doing it again next year. Check out the pictures by clicking the link on the right!





BikeFest 2008!

1 10 2008

That’s it! No Work. No Politics. For the next four days it’s all about motorcycles, and the great open spaces! Oh, and this little town in the Nevada desert that you may or may not have heard of.

Keep an eye on this space for live posts from the greatest gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts on the West Coast!